Costa Book of the Year
/ˌkɒstə ˌbʊk əv ðə ˈjɪə(r)/, /ˌkɒstə ˌbʊk əv ðə ˈjɜː(r)/
/ˌkɑːstə ˌbʊk əv ðə ˈjɪr/
- a major British literary prize, known as the Whitbread Book of the Year until 2006 when Costa Coffee took over as sponsor. At the beginning of January each year, five new British or Irish books are chosen as the best book of their type: best novel, best first novel, best book of poems, best biography (= book about a person's life) and best children's book. At the end of the month, one of the five is chosen as the book of the year.