Evaristo and Blackman up for Visionary Honours 2020

Books from Bernardine Evaristo and Malorie Blackman have been nominated for the Visionary Honours 2020, celebrating the voices that are having a cultural impact in the UK today.

Competing within the Book of the Year category, Evaristo's Booker Prize winning Girl, Woman, Other (Hamish Hamilton) and Blackman's fifth novel in her Noughts and Crosses series, Crossfire (Penguin), both appear on this year's six-strong shortlist.

Miriam Khan's It's Not About the Burqa (Pan Macmillan) and Scarlett Curtis' It's Not OK to Feel Blue—and Other Lies (Penguin) are also in the running, alongside Jess Phillips' Truth to Power (Monoray, part of Octopus) and Juno Dawson's Proud (Stripes Publishing).

Now in its second year, the Visionary Honours, organised by the Visionary Arts Foundation, describe the awards as "shining a light on a new generation of writers, directors and producers creating work reflective of our multicultural society – from diversity and equality to mental health".

Commenting on her nomination, Blackman said: "I’m thrilled to have been nominated for the Visionary Honours Book of the Year award in the company of so many fantastic authors and their books. What I love about this award is the unique way that it celebrates culture, media and entertainment which seeks to move us forward."

There are 10 categories in total, also including Influencer/Journalist of the Year, which Queenie author Candice Carty Williams and George the Poet are up for. Phoebe Waller-Bridge is in the running for Most Inspiring Person of the Year.

Nikesh Shukla (The Good Immigrant, Penguin) helped to formulate the Book of the Year shortlist alongside Visionary Honours founder Adrian Grant, "ensuring the focus was always on choosing books that have made a social impact in the UK", according to Visionary.

Voting opened to the public on Thursday 20th February and the winners will be announced on Wednesday 18th March at the Ham Yard Hotel in central London.

Follow the link to vote: https://visionaryarts.org.uk/awards/vote/