What the book awards are about
For details of the 2026 Book Awards please Click Here
The Society’s annual Book Awards were launched in 2004 to recognise and encourage the writing of original, well-researched and well-written transport history books. Each year up to four winning authors are presented with framed certificates and cash prizes. One of the winning books is then chosen as Book of the Year and its author receives a further cash prize and the David St John Thomas trophy to hold for a year. The prize fund was generously bequeathed to the Society for this specific purpose by our former President, David St John Thomas, author and co-founder of the David & Charles publishing house.
How the winners are decided
Prizes can be awarded for books on any aspect of transport history within the British Isles, including railways, canals and waterways, tramways, road transport, ferries, docks and harbours and coastal shipping. To be eligible, books must have been reviewed in the Society’s Journal during the preceding twelve months. Our book reviewers nominate suitable books for potential short-listing. A separate panel of judges, drawn from the society’s membership, then agrees a short-list based on the reviewers’ suggestions, studies the works concerned and decides on the winners. They take into consideration factors such as originality of subject matter, quality and extent of research undertaken, clarity of writing and overall presentation, including source referencing, indexing and use of appropriate maps and other illustrations.
How to enter books for the awards
If you are an author or publisher of books on transport subjects that you wish to be considered for an award, then please submit copies to the Journal for review. Books reviewed in the Journal issues of July 2026, November 2026 and March 2027 are eligible for the 2027 awards; please contact the Book Review Editor for more information. If you would like to know more about the Book Awards scheme, please contact the Book Awards Administrator
Past Judges’ Reports
For details of the 2025 short listed and winning books use the link: 2025 Book Awards
For details of the 2024 short listed and winning books use the link: 2024 Book Awards
For details of the 2023 short listed and winning books use the link: 2023 Book Awards
For details of the 2022 short listed and winning books use the link: 2022 Book Awards
For details of the 2021 short listed and winning books use the link: 2021Book Awards
For details of the 2020 short listed and winning books use the link: 2020 Book Awards
For details of the 2019 short listed and winning books use the link: 2019 Book Awards
For details of the 2018 short listed and winning books use the link: 2018 Book Awards.
For details of the 2017 short listed and winning books use the link: 2017 Book Awards.
For a list of books winning awards in previous years use the link: Previous Book Awards