Azumah Nelson's Open Water named Bad Form's Book of the Year

Caleb Azumah Nelson's Open Water (Viking) has won Bad Form's inaugural Book of the Year title.

The winner was decided after a 24-hour vote hosted on Bad Form’s Instagram page. Nelson will win a custom artwork from Haricha Abdaal at Bad Form’s Christmas party on 6th December.

Editor-in-chief Amy Mae Baxter said: "The Bad Form team is delighted that our community have selected Caleb Azumah Nelson’s debut as the winner of our inaugural prize. Every single one of the shortlisted books were brilliant, and Open Water was a book the whole Bad Form community has stood behind since publication. We wish Nelson every success in future."

Azumah Nelson beat competition from In the End, It Was All About Love by Musa Okwonga (Rough Trade Books), Black Joy, edited by Charlie Brinkhurst-Cuff and Timi Sotire (Penguin Random House Children's), The Giant Dark by Sarvat Hasin (Dialogue), Assembly by Natasha Brown (Hamish Hamilton) and Raceless by Georgina Lawton (Sphere).

Also on the shortlist were In Every Mirror She’s Black by Lola Akinmade Åkerström (Head of Zeus), Mrs Death Misses Death by Salena Golden (Canongate), Keeping the Receipts by Tolani Shoneye, Milena Sanches and Audrey Indome (Headline), This One Sky Day by Leone Ross (Faber) and Mixed/Other by Natalie Morris (Trapeze).