2010 Hurston/Wright Legacy Award shortlist for Blonde Roots (USA)
2010 Poetry Book Society Special Commendation for Ten poetry anthology (co-editor)
2009 International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award (nominated) for Blonde Roots
2009 The Big Red Read Award: fiction & overall winner for Blonde Roots
2009 Awarded an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List*1
2009 Orange Prize Youth Panel Award for Blonde Roots
2009 Orange Prize for Fiction longlist for Blonde Roots
2006 Elected a Fellow, Royal Society of Arts
2004 Elected a Fellow, Royal Society of Literature
2003 NESTA Fellowship Award for The Emperor’s Babe*2
2000 Arts Council Writers Award for The Emperor’s Babe
1999 EMMA Best Book Award for Lara
1*Member of the Order of the British Empire – the UK’s national honours system. Bernardine’s MBE is for ‘services to literature’ and for being ‘a major voice in the multicultural panorama of British literature’.
2*National Endowment of Science, Technology & The Arts (UK)
BOOKS OF THE YEAR etc
Books have been a Book of the Year 12 times in national newspapers & magazines.
Blonde Roots
A Financial Times Book of the Year
A Prospect Book of the Year
A San Francisco Chronicle Book of the Year
A Telegraph Pick of the Paperbacks
The London Paper Top Choice
Soul Tourists
An Independent Book of the Year
An Independent on Sunday Book of the Year
The Emperor’s Babe
A Times Book of the Decade, 2009
A Sunday Times Pick of the Week
A Telegraph Book of the Year
A Sunday Independent Book of the Year
A Times Book of the Year
An Ireland Sunday Independent Book of the Year
Red Magazine Pick of the Paperbacks
A Times Best of Summer Books
Lara
A New Statesman Book of the Year
A Telegraph Book of the Year
A Weekly Journal Book of the Year
