FULL LIST: Winners, 40th National Book Awards

MANILA, Philippines – The National Book Development Board (NBDB) and the Manila Critics Circle have announced the winners of the 40th National Book Awards.

The winners were posted on NBDB’s Facebook page on Friday, April 28.

This year’s awards covered titles published in 2021. Out of 213 nominations across categories, 100 finalists were selected, with only 29 winning awards. 

Winners will receive their awards at an onsite ceremony on May 13. Here’s a full list of awardees: 

Literary Division

BEST NOVEL IN ENGLISH: Snakes in the Grass by Patrick Everard, University of the Philippines Press

BEST NOVEL IN FILIPINO: Aswanglaut by Allan N. Derain, Ateneo de Manila University Press

NATIONAL ARTIST CIRILO F. BAUTISTA PRIZE FOR BEST BOOK OF SHORT FICTION IN ENGLISH: Selected Short Stories by Cecilia Manguerra Brainard, University of Santo Tomas Publishing House

GERARDO P. CABOCHAN PRIZE FOR BEST BOOK OF SHORT FICTION IN FILIPINO:  Ang Itim na Orkidyas ng Isla Boracay: Mga Kuwento by Genevieve L. Asenjo, University of the Philippines Press

PABLO A. TAN BEST BOOK OF NONFICTION PROSE IN ENGLISH: Departures: Essays by Priscilla S Macansantos, University of the Philippines Press

BEST BOOK OF NONFICTION PROSE IN FILIPINO: Sa Yakap ng Gubat at Dagat ng Palawan: Mga Ekosanaysay by John Iremil Teodoro, Pawikan Press

BEST ANTHOLOGY: Harvest Moon: Poems and Stories from the Edge of the Climate Crisis by Padmapani L. Perez, Rehana Rossouw, Alexandra Walter, and Renato Redentor Constantino, Millflores Publishing Incorporated and Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities (ICSC)

BEST BOOK OF LITERARY CRITICISM/ CULTURAL STUDIES IN ENGLISH: Campaigns of Knowledge: US Pedagogies of Colonialism and Occupation in the Philippines and Japan by Malini Johar Schueller, Ateneo de Manila University Press

BEST BOOK OF LITERARY CRITICISM/ CULTURAL STUDIES IN FILIPINO: Musika ng Pananakop: Panahon ng Hapon sa Filipinas, 1942-1945 by Raul Casantusan Navarro, University of the Philippines Press

BEST BOOK ON MEDIA STUDIES: Hindi Nangyari Dahil Wala sa Social Media: Interogasyon ng Kulturang New Media sa Pilipinas by Rolando Tolentino, Vladimeir B. Gonzales, and Laurence Marvin S. Castillo, Ateneo de Manila University Press

PHILIPPINE LITERARY ARTS COUNCIL PRIZE FOR BEST BOOK OF POETRY IN ENGLISH: Tangere by Rodrigo V. dela Peña Jr., University of the Philippines Press and College Boy: Poems by Mookie Katigbak-Lacuesta, Ateneo de Manila University Press

VICTORIO C. VALLEDOR PRIZE FOR BEST BOOK OF POETRY IN FILIPINO: Pasakalye by Lean Borlongan, self-published; and Tuwing Nag-Iisa sa Mapa ng Buntong-hininga by Paolo Miguel G. Tiausas, University of the Philippines Press

BEST GRAPHIC NOVEL IN ENGLISH: Alandal, written by Philip Ignacio, illustrated by Alex Niño, Komiket Inc.

BEST GRAPHIC NOVEL IN FILIPINO: Ang Mga Alitaptap ng Pulang Buhangin by RH Quilantang, Komiket Inc.

BEST TRANSLATED BOOK: Mga Himutok sa Palikuran at iba pang kuwento by Eka Kurniawan, translated by Amado Anthony G. Mendoza III, Savage Mind: Arts, Books, Cinema

BEST NOVEL IN ILOCANO: Dagiti Pundador (The Founders) by Prescillano N. Bermudez, Saniata Publications

BEST ANTHOLOGY IN ILOCANO: Panaglantip (Union) by Dionisio Soliven Bulong and Eden Cachola-Bulong, Saniata Publications

BEST BOOK OF POETRY IN ILOCANO: Baribari (Pardon Me) by Roy Vadil Aragon, Saniata Publications and Anglem (Incense) by Danile L. Nesperos, Saniata Publications

Non-literary Division

ALFONSO T. ONGPIN PRIZE FOR BEST BOOK ON ART: Endangered Splendor: Manila’s Architectural Heritage, 1571-1960 by Fernando Zialcita and Erik Akpedonu, Ateneo de Manila University Press

ELFREN S. CRUZ PRIZE FOR BEST BOOK IN THE SOCIAL SCIENCES: The Water Defenders: How Ordinary People Saved a Country from Corporate Greed by Robin Broad and John Cavanagh, Ateneo de Manila University Press

JOHN C. KAW PRIZE FOR BEST BOOK ON HISTORY: Pugot: Head taking, Ritual Cannibalism and Human Sacrifice in the Philippines by Narciso C. Tan, Vibal Foundation Inc.

BEST BOOK ON HUMOR, SPORTS, AND LIFESTYLE: The Business of Banking: Structure and Profitability; Risks and Controls by Deogracias N. Vistan, Anvil Publishing

BEST BOOK ON FOOD: Appetite for Freedom: The Recipes of Maria Y. Orosa, with Essays on Her Life and Work by Helena Orosa del Rosario, Ige Ramos Design Studio

BEST BOOK IN SPIRITUALITY AND THEOLOGY: Handumanan (Remembrance): Digging for the Indigenous Wellspring by Karl M. Gaspar, CSSR, Claretian Communications Foundation Inc.

BEST BOOK IN PHILOSOPHY: Repentance and Rebirth at the End of Life as We Know It by Agustin Martin G. Rodriguez, Ateneo de Manila University Press

Design

BEST BOOK DESIGN: Endangered Splendor: Manila’s Architectural Heritage, 1571-1960, design by Ali Figueroa and Erik Akpedonu, Ateneo de Manila University Press

– Rappler.com