The Whitbread Book Awards were established in 1979 to recognize outstanding literary works in the United Kingdom. The awards celebrate authors across several categories, including Fiction, Children's Books, Poetry, and Biography. They aim to promote reading and highlight the achievements of both established and emerging writers. In 2006, the awards were rebranded as the Costa Book Awards after the coffee company Costa Coffee became the main sponsor. The awards continue to honor exceptional books published in the previous year, with winners selected by a panel of judges from the literary community.