It’s been one of our busiest months yet at Collective Wisdom and we are very much into awards season. Earlier this week I was delighted to serve on the judging panel for this year’s Nibbies (The British Book Awards), celebrating the exceptional talent of publicists, marketers and designers in the publishing sector. I also went to the first Business of the Arts Summit, which hosted The Arts Professional Awards, where our client Stephen Crocker, CEO of Norwich Theatre, was nominated for Arts Professional of the Year.
Alongside this, the team has been working across major announcements, festivals, milestones and cultural moments, from literary prizes and historic conservation work to national media stories and new campaigns. Here’s a look at what we’ve been up to…
The Orwell Foundation revealed the finalists for The Orwell Prize for Political Writing and The Orwell Prize for Political Fiction, with eight books selected for each prize. The announcement highlights some of the most urgent, incisive and imaginative political writing of the past year. With themes ranging from global politics and social justice to personal testimony and speculative futures, this year’s finalists reflect the breadth and ambition of contemporary political writing.
You can find out more about the finalists here.
This month we worked with the National Museum of the Royal Navy on a major milestone for HMS Victory, as the ship entered a new phase of The Big Repair, the £42m, decade‑long conservation project safeguarding Nelson’s flagship for future generations. Over three carefully planned nights, a 750‑tonne crane removed the ship’s remaining masts following months of meticulous preparation by conservators, shipwrights and riggers. The operation represents the first time since the 1890s that Victory will stand without all her masts, allowing the team to begin the next stage of conservation before their eventual reinstatement in 2033.
Coverage was widespread, totalling an impressive 273 individual pieces, including broadcast on The One Show, ITV Meridian and GB News, print in The Daily Telegraph, iNews and The Guardian and online in the Independent, BBC News and The Daily Mail. Regional media across the UK covered the story including The Yorkshire Post, The Herald, The Belfast Telegraph and Portsmouth News.
To mark 25 years of the PEN Hessell‑Tiltman Prize for historical non‑fiction, English PEN has launched a special one‑off “Winner of Winners” award, celebrating the outstanding titles that have shaped the prize’s legacy since 2002. Judges Shahidha Bari, Kathryn Hughes and Aditi Anand will select a single title from 22 previous winners, with a public event on 16 July at Foyles bringing together past prize‑winners including David Olusoga, Kojo Koram, Anita Anand and Avi Shlaim. The announcement celebrates a quarter‑century of exceptional historical writing and the legacy of Marjorie Hessell‑Tiltman’s vision.
Our client, The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development announced the three finalists for the 2026 EBRD Literature Prize, selected from ten shortlisted titles spanning nine countries. The prize celebrates exceptional translated fiction from across the Bank’s regions, and this year’s finalists exemplify the power of literature to cross borders and illuminate complex histories. The selected works are People and Trees: A Trilogy by Akram Aylisli, Ice by Jacek Dukaj and On the Greenwich Line by Shady Lewis. These titles explore themes ranging from wartime childhood and counterfactual history to migration, bureaucracy and identity. Chosen by an independent jury chaired by Dr Maya Jaggi, the finalists reflect a rich diversity of voices and narrative styles. The winning author and translator will be announced on 2 July at the EBRD’s London headquarters.
The finalists were featured in this BookBrunch article, alongside international press from Rynek Ksiazki, EU Neighbours East and The Irish Times.
We had a brilliant time at Cambridge Literary Festival last month, as it returned with a standout spring programme featuring Zadie Smith, Mary Berry, Jung Chang, Andrew Miller, Harriet Tyce, Margaret Busby, Greg Doran and many others. This spring there was a focus the UK’s National Year of Reading, delivered in partnership with the Go All In campaign, and introduced a new dedicated Children’s Zone offering free storytelling, crafts and activities throughout the weekend. The festival’s renowned lecture series also returned, with Caroline Lucas delivering the inaugural State of Nature Lecture, Deborah Levy presenting the Room of One’s Own Lecture and Rachel Clarke giving the State of the Nation Lecture.
Ahead of the festival, we secured interviews for speakers including an interview with Caroline Lucas in The New World and Country & Townhouse and Rachel Clarke in The Independent. The Guardian’s Ella Creamer attended the festival, writing a piece on the Zadie Smith event and local coverage included the Cambridge Independent, Varsity and Cambridge Radio.
Last month we were also up in Stratford-upon-Avon, working with Stratford Literary Festival on their spring programme. Across four days, audiences enjoyed conversations with Prue Leith, Mark Gatiss, Sophie Raworth, Philippa Perry, Antony Beevor, Natalie Haynes, Tim Spector, Mark Kermode and many more. The festival explored everything from history, politics and psychology to creativity, crime writing, music and the natural world, alongside a lively family programme and hands‑on workshops in writing, editing and printmaking.
Alongside PR, we also supported the festival’s marketing and social media, creating engaging content across platforms and collaborating with speakers to widen reach. We secured a brilliant partnership with Chiltern Railways to run a ticket competition, and also a giveaway with the RSC and Hotel du Vin to win the ultimate weekend away in Stratford-upon-Avon. We also invited influencers including Leena Norms who attended two events, and The Mum Club Stratford to spotlight the festival’s fantastic family programme.
The festival was covered in BookBrunch, The Glossary and The Oldie and we set up interviews with Mark Gatiss for Sky News and The New Statesman Podcast (The New Society) and Dame Vikki Heywood for The Stratford Herald. Festival Director Annie Ashworth was interviewed on BBC Radio Coventry & Warwickshire discussing the festival programme.
The Cromwell Museum marked its 10th anniversary with a special event exploring Oliver Cromwell’s legacy and the museum’s role in presenting one of the most complex and debated figures in British history. The anniversary brought together historians, curators and local audiences to reflect on a decade of exhibitions, research and public engagement, and to look ahead to the museum’s future ambitions. The milestone attracted national attention, including a feature on BBC News, which highlighted the museum’s work in contextualising Cromwell’s impact and encouraging nuanced public discussion.
The museum also launched a new exhibition exploring what life was like for Huntingdon Grammar School students in the 17th century, when Oliver Cromwell and Samuel Pepys were studying there. You can find out more about the exhibition here.
Last month we worked with Culture Croydon on Surprised!, a joyful two‑day festival celebrating Asian arts, culture and community. Inspired by Henri Rousseau’s Surprised! which is currently on display in The Whitgift Centre as part of The National Gallery’s Art On Your Doorstep. The festival brough together artists, performers and families for a vibrant programme of street theatre, large‑scale puppetry, live music, dance and hands‑on workshops. Highlights include roaming performances from Sonia Sabri Company, Inspirate’s Ancient Giants, Vietnamese Lion Dance, Bollywood Brass Band, and a rich music and dance line‑up curated by Shri Sriram and Beeja Dance Company.
Shri Sriram, curator of the music programme was interviewed on BBC Radio London yesterday talking more in depth about the festival.
Sharon Blackie’s new book Ripening: Why Women Need Fairy Tales Now was published on 14 May by September Publishing. It’s wonderful to see the book out in the world and already resonating with readers. Sharon joined Sara Cox on BBC Radio 2’s Book Club to discuss the power of original fairy tales in helping women navigate uncertainty, courage and transformation. Look out for an interview with Sharon in The Guardian Review.
We’ve been busy supporting Simon Woodroffe ahead of the publication of his new book YO! Man, coming in June from Whitefox. The memoir charts Simon’s extraordinary journey, from stage‑designing for rock legends and working on Live Aid, to founding YO! Sushi and YOTEL, and becoming one of the original Dragons on Dragons’ Den. Last month we secured a fantastic interview for Simon in Financial Times Weekend’s My Financial Life, offering readers a candid look at the risks, reinventions and big swings that have shaped his career. Momentum continues to build, with upcoming interviews lined up across Times Radio, BBC Radio 4, The Daily Telegraph and more.
This month, we launched the Substack for author, social historian and journalist Joshua Levine. After working on Joshua’s new website last year, we decided to replace the blog functionality with a Substack, as a new platform to organically grow and create a loyal readership. Joshua’s Substack will feature weekly articles, covering history, social and political commentary, and a whole range of other interesting topics. Take a look here.
