Chris Newens won the £2,000 (about $2,510) Jane Grigson Trust Award, which recognizes "a first-time writer of a book about food or drink which has been commissioned but not yet published," for Moveable Feasts: Paris in Twenty Meals.
Donald Sloan, chair of judges and chair of the Jane Grigson Trust, said: "In Moveable Feasts Chris Newens reveals the real culinary culture of Paris shaped by the diverse communities that occupy its twenty arrondissement. You may think you know Paris, but in this beautifully written book Chris will take you on a journey to the parts you have never visited."
Guest judge Sami Tamimi commented: "I think Chris Newens is a brilliant writer and the whole narrative to his book is refreshing and totally original. As I was reading, I felt I wanted to meet Chris and spend time with him in Paris, not to go to the old Paris that everyone knows but to look at it from a fresh, modern perspective. But it is the writing that really grabs you about this book."
The two runners up were The Silk Roads Cookbook: Recipes from Baku to Beijing by Anna Ansari and Sift: The Elements of Great Baking by Nicola Lamb.
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Five winners have been selected for the inaugural Abrams Amplify Award, which aims "to uplift the voices of children's book creators from marginalized communities." The award provides funding and editorial feedback for writers to nurture and develop their publishing potential. The first year of the award sought middle-grade stories representing and sharing a diverse array of voices, cultures, and ideas.
The inaugural winners of the Abrams Amplify Award:
The 1st prize winner, who receives editorial notes, a video call with an editor, and a $5,000 cash prize, is Kandace Coston from Suffern, N.Y., for Can You Dig It?!, a middle-grade graphic novel about a diverse and endearing group of volleyball teammates and friends.
The two 2nd prize winners, who receive editorial notes and $2,500:
Karliana Sakas from Media, Pa., for Dog Boy, a middle-grade novel set in Detroit about kids on a mission to right a wrong and rescue an abandoned dog.
Rachelle Cruz from Anaheim, Calif., for My Summer of Shapeshifting, a contemporary coming-of-age story set in the Bay Area about an immigrant Filipinx family with the ability to shape-shift.
The two 3rd prize winners, who receive editorial notes and $1,000 each:
Hana Siddiqi from Alburtis, Pa., for Andalucia and the World of the Unseen, a Cinderella story involving magic and a quest in a South Asian boarding school setting.
To-wen Tseng from San Diego, Calif., for The Donut Rescue Team, a young middle-grade novel about a group of friends who team up to battle food waste.
Andrew Smith, senior v-p and publisher of Abrams Children's Books, said, "Celebrating a diverse array of voices, cultures, and ideas is a core value in our publishing. We very much look forward to providing support and working closely with these five talented writers to help them achieve their publishing goals."