Cats marauding as ghost pirates, what more do you want?...

Yesterday saw 'Cats Ahoy!' being honoured as the lastest recipient of the Roald Dahl Funny Prize. The rhyming picture book, written by Peter Bently, was named the funniest book for children aged six and under and was articulately summised by chair of the judges Michael Rosen, 'Cats marauding as ghost pirates to steal fishy bounty from lily-livered humans: what more do you want from a funny book?'. Bently was honoured alongside Liz Pichon, whose book 'The Brilliant World of Tom Gates', a 'must for anyone who doodles, likes to wind up their sibling, has a serious caramel wafer habit and enjoys having their chuckle muscles exercised', won in the 7-14 category. Both were awarded prizes of £2,500.

Ordinary people, extraordinary writing...

The time has come for the Guardian First Book Award to appear again, yet this time it has a different dimension. The honour for debut writers has traditionally been chosen by expert panellists, who narrow entries down to a longlist, shortlist, and finally a winner. However, this year, for the first time, the full catalogue of submissions have been released online. The 136 entries from publishers include the 2011 Orange Prize winner Tea Obreht, yet the Guardian believes that the public might know better. At the end of this month, the 10th title of the longlist will be announced, chosen by ordinary people, but hopefully uncovering extraordinary writing.

Poetry inspired by Iraq...

For the first time, a book of poetry has won the Dylan Thomas Prize. 'Clamor', written by American Elyse Fenton, is based on the fragments of instant messaging conversations she managed to share with her medic husband, while he was deployed in Iraq. The work, triumphing over writings by names such as Caroline Bird and Nadifa Mohammed, was praised by judge Peter Florence as 'a great winner...an astonishing, fully accomplished book of huge ambition and spectacular delivery'. The prize is awarded to the best eligible published or produced literary work in the English language, written by an author under 30. Fenton, who has been holding creative writing workshops for students in Wales for the last week, becomes the third winner and the recipient of £30,000.

Playboy Hefner gets literary awards...

He is usually more famous for being the founder and proud owner of the Playboy mansion, but this week, Hugh Hefner was honoured with two literary awards. The PEN USA Award ceremony at Beverly Hills Hotel presented Hefner with the 'Award of Honor' and the 'First Amendment Award'. The latter was in reference to his commitment to free speech, a commitment that some would say, has gone too far. Here, Hefner is interviewed about his latest successes

The Leftie...

On this day...Socialist playwright George Bernard Shaw refused to accept the monetary award for his Nobel Prize in 1925. The only person to have been awarded both a Nobel Prize and an Oscar, Shaw was nominated for 'his work which is marked by both idealism and humanity, its stimulating satire often being infused with a singular poetic beauty'.

In accordance with his leftist ideologies, Shaw had no desire for public honours, and wanted to refuse the Prize outright. At the behest of his wife however, who considered it to be a tribute to Ireland, he reluctantly accepted it, yet still eschewed the 800,000 Swedish Kroner or there abouts. In announcing his decision Shaw said, 'I can forgive Alfred Nobel for inventing dynamite, but only a fiend in human form could have invented the Nobel Prize'.

Unhooking the Moon...

Debut novelist Gregory Hughes has won the Booktrust Teenage Prize for his work 'Unhooking the Moon'. The story of two orphaned siblings, Hughes wrote the book over a period of eight months in Iceland, working for six or seven hours a day in a room that he could barely stretch his arms in. Hailed as 'astonishing' by the judges, Hughes literary career is sure to blossom in future years, helped, no doubt, by £2,500 cheque he has received for winning.

Somali author's debut novel success...

Somali author Nadifa Mohamed has been nominated for the 2010 Guardian First Book Award. Also shortlisted for this year's Dylan Thomas Prize, her debut novel 'Black Mamba Boy' describes a journey from her homeland to Port Talbot in Wales and the experiences endured. Up against such names as Kathryn Schulz and Maile CHapman, the winner will be announced in early December. Here is a podcast about the award, featuring one of the nominees, Ned Beauman.

Heaney nominated for Eliot's Prize...

Nobel Prize winner Seamus Heaney has been shortlisted for the T. S. Eliot Prize. The poet has been recognised for his collection 'the Human Chain', a work which won him the Forwar Prize earlier this year. Heaney will join his fellow nine shortlisted candidates, including Simon Armitage and Derek Walcott, in a poetry reading at London's Royal Festival Hall on the eve on the announcement, which will take place on January 24th. Founded in 1953, the award comes with a monetary prize of £15,000.

Comic Booker Prize...

Last week saw author Howard Jacobson shoot to the top of the literary pile as he became the winner of the 2010 Man Booker Prize. The oldest winner at 68, since William Golding in 1980, Jacobson was honoured for his comic novel 'The Finkler Question', deemed by Andrew Motion a 'completely worthy winner'. In this video, Jacobson gives his reaction to receiving the prestigious award.

Prizes and poetry...

The season for literary awards is fully underway, with the Nobel Prize winner announced on Thursday, and the Man Booker to be revealed tomorrow. In this podcast, the winner of the Guardian's Children's Prize for Fiction, Michelle Paver, and Seamus Heaney among others, discuss their celebrated works.

The heir to Mantel's throne...

It's that time of year again, and the shortlist for this year's Man Booker Prize has been announced. Hoping to win the award for the third time, is Australian Peter Carey, who was compared by former Poet Laureate, and chair of the judging panel Andrew Motion, to Charles Dickens. Those aiming to follow in the footsteps of last year's winner Hilary Mantel, are:

• Peter Carey - 'Parrot and Oliver in America'
• Emma Donoghue - 'Room'
• Damon Galgut - 'In a Strange Room'
• Howard Jacobson - 'The Finkler Question'
  
• Andrea Levy - 'The Long Song'
• Tom McCarthy - 'C'

Donoghue is the current favourite at 9-4, closely follwed by Carey at 5-2, with Jacobson the outside bet at 6-1.

Summer stories...

Despite children and adults alike swanning off to far flung places in search of a bit of relaxation, the literary world took no such break. Here are just a few of the headlines from the last couple of months...

• Raymond Scott, the flamboyant antiques dealer accused of stealing a rare couple of Shakespeare's 'First Folio', has been cleared
• Science fiction author Ray Bradbury has reached his 90th birthday
• Chris Wormell's 'One Small Fish', a children's book on evolution, has won the Booktrust Early Years Award
• Following in the footsteps of fellow New Labour founder Peter Mandelson, Tony Blair has released his autobiography, 'A Journey', leading to nationwide press coverage and controversy

Olufemi Terry bags Africa's leading award...

The winner of the Caine Prize for African Writing has been announced. Sierra Leonean writer Olufemi Terry, who grew up in Nigeria and worked as a journalist in both Somalia and Uganda, has been honoured for 'Stickfighting Days' - a story about a boy who lives in a dump. Judges described the work as 'ambitious, brave and hugely imaginative', adding that Terry has enormous potential for the future.

Yet Terry himself, although pleased in securing the publicity that will undoubtedly result in the publication of his first novel, believes that there is 'a danger in seeking authenticity in African writing', and making the continent distinct. Widely regarded as Africa's leading literary award, the Caine Prize will furnish Terry with £10,000.

I spy another award for Gross...

Poet Philip Gross has won the English-language Wales Book of the Year prize. 'I Spy Pinhole Eye', a collaborative work with photographer Simon Denison, explores the act of seeing and interpretation and is centred around altered images of electricity pylons. Gross is joined by John Davies, who was the recipient of Welsh-language award for 'Cymru: Y 100 lle i'w gweld cyn marw', translated as, 'Wales: 100 places to see before dying'. The £10,000 award comes only months after Gross exploded onto the scene by scooping the T.S. Eliot prize, for a different collection.

Gaiman's graveyard genius...

The winner of the Cilip Carnegie Medal has been announced as Neil Gaiman. The prestigious prize, awarded by children's librarians for an outstanding book for children and young people, was presented to Gaiman for his 'gripping page-turner' novel 'The Graveyard Book', which is 'full of humour and humanity'. Although an outstanding literary figure, Gaiman is not unknown in the realm of screen work, having written an episode of 'Doctor Who', and having seen novels 'Stardust' and 'Coraline' become Hollywood hits. His prize will include a gold medal, and £500 worth of books to donate to a library of his choice.

Hilary assumes winner's Mantel...

Hilary Mantel's 'Wolf Hall' continues its incredible streak, winning the inaugral Walter Scott Prize for historical fiction. The 16th century based novel, which has already won the 2009 Man Booker Prize, was deemed 'immersive, constantly engaging, beautifully crafted, and compulsively readable'. Mantel, unable to attend due to illness, said that she was 'astonished and delighted and gratified', to beat off such fierce competition as Robert Harris and Adam Foulds. The prize was set up earlier this year by the Duke and Duchess of Buccleuch, distant descendents of Scott, to reward novels set more than 60 years in the past. Mantel also wins £25,000.

Teenagers turn to Fugitive Pieces for honour...

A panel of teenagers yesterday, judged Anne Michaels' novel 'Fugitive Piece', to be the best Orange Prize winner to date. Michaels, who won the award in 1997, beat off fellow to candidates Andrea Levy and Zadie Smith to land the special honour, which has been set up to mark the 15th anniversary of the Orange Prize and engage young people with literature. A 'heartened' Michaels said that her novel 'is a discussion of history, a serious enquiry into events and their consequences, what love makes us capable of, and incapable of', adding that she 'could not wish for a more meaningful honour'.

Lost prize awarded to lost soul....

The winner of the 'Lost Booker Prize' has been announced. JG Farrell has been honoured for 'Troubles', a novel set in the 1919 Irish War of Independence, cited as having 'lasting quality'. Indeed it is this 'lasting quality' which makes the award all the more special, as the novel was originally published in 1970. Due to changes in the rules of the award, no book published in that year was ever elegible to win a Booker Prize, and it was following this discovery that the 'Lost Booker Prize' was launched. Farrell's work beat off opposition from Nina Bawden and Dame Muriel Sparkes to scoop the coveretd award with 38% of the public vote. Yet sadly, Farrell died in his early 40s in 1979, never able to see the achievement which he deservedly won.

Alex's Adventures in Numberland...

The longlist for the BBC's Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-fiction has been announced. The 'unusual and eclectic' selection of books ranges from 'Alex's Adventures in Numberland', a attempt to demystify maths, to 'The Music Instinct', the brain's response to Lady Gaga and Bach. Judged by Evan Davis, the winner of the £20,000 prize will be announced at a ceremony in July.

Mantel up for Orange Prize...

The shortlist for the Orange Prize for Fiction has been announced today. Leading the pack is Hilary Mantel, whose historical novel 'Wolf Hall' won the Booker Prize in 2009. The list is completed by two first timers, Rosie Allison and Attica Locke, two American authors, Lorrie Moore and Barbara Kingsolver, and Anglo-Trinidadian Monique Roffey.

Established 15 years ago, The Orange Prize exists to recognise 'excellence, originality and accessibility' in women's writing, and indeed, this year's competitors 'achieve the near impossible of combining literary merit with sheer readability'. Each shortlisted author will read extracts from their work, before the winner of the £30,000 prize is announced on June 9th.