The Audio Publishers Association hosted the 26th annual Audie Awards virtually last night, making them open to the public for the first time.
The event, hosted by John Leguizamo, saw Piranesi, by Susanna Clarke and narrated by Chiwetel Ejiofor (Bloomsbury), take home the 2021 Audiobook of the Year award. Clap When You Land, by Elizabeth Acevedo and narrated by Acevedo and Melania-Luisa Marte (HarperAudio), won the 2021 Young Adult Audie Award.
"The reading is a triumph of tone," Jennifer Egan, who judged the Audiobook of the Year category with fellow authors Tommy Orange and David Sedaris, said of Piranesi, calling the audiobook "one of the best readings of contemporary literature that I have ever listened to." Orange added: "When the book got darker and more thrilling, and as the mystery at the center of the novel was revealed, Chiwetel Ejiofor moved the story along beautifully."
Melissa de la Cruz, who judged the Young Adult Audie Award category with Jerry Craft and V.E. Schwab, said of Clap When You Land: "The narration of this title brought the story to life in a rich and luscious manner." Schwab added: “The dual narration was powerful, as was the execution of the novel-in-verse component, which could be felt in the pacing and choices made by the two narrators. It was a perfect balance of writing and narration."
The 2021 Audie Award Winners are as follows:
Audiobook of the Year
Piranesi by Susanna Clarke, narrated by Chiwetel Ejiofor (Bloomsbury PLC)
Audio Drama
Doctor Who: Stranded 1 by Matt Fitton, David K Barnes, Lisa McMullin, and John Dorney, performed by Paul McGann, Nicola Walker, Hattie Morahan, Rebecca Root, Tom Price, and Tom Baker (Big Finish Productions)
Autobiography/Memoir
The Autobiography of Malcolm X: As Told to Alex Haley by Malcolm X as told to Alex Haley, narrated by Laurence Fishburne (Audible)
Best Female Narrator
The City We Became by N. K. Jemisin, narrated by Robin Miles (Hachette Audio)
Best Male Narrator
The Autobiography of Malcolm X: As Told to Alex Haley by Malcolm X as told to Alex Haley, narrated by Laurence Fishburne (Audible)
Business/Personal Development
The Gift: 12 Lessons to Save Your Life by Dr. Edith Eva Eger, narrated by Tovah Feldshuh (S&S Audio)
Faith-based Fiction and Nonfiction
Fierce, Free, and Full of Fire written and narrated by Jen Hatmaker (Thomas Nelson)
Fantasy
The City We Became by N. K. Jemisin, narrated by Robin Miles (Hachette Audio)
Fiction
Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid, narrated by Nicole Lewis (PRH Audio)
History/Biography
His Truth Is Marching On: John Lewis and the Power of Hope by Jon Meacham, with an afterword by John Lewis, narrated by J.D. Jackson (PRH Audio)
Humor
A Very Punchable Face, written and narrated by Colin Jost (PRH Audio)
Literary Fiction and Classics
The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi, narrated by Yetide Badaki and Chukwudi Iwuji (PRH Audio)
Middle Grade
The Good Hawk by Joseph Elliott, narrated by Fiona Hardingham and Gary Furlong (Brilliance Publishing)
Multi-voiced Narration
Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo, narrated by Elizabeth Acevedo and Melania-Luisa Marte (HarperAudio)
Mystery
Fair Warning by Michael Connelly, narrated by Peter Giles and Zach Villa (Hachette Audio)
Narration by Author or Authors
More Myself, written and narrated by Alicia Keys (Macmillan Audio)
Nonfiction
Fire in Paradise by Alastair Gee and Dani Anguiano, narrated by T. Ryder Smith (Recorded Books)
Original Work
When You Finish Saving the World by Jesse Eisenberg, narrated by Finn Wolfhard, Kaitlyn Dever, and Jesse Eisenberg (Audible Originals)
Romance
Dirty Letters by Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward, narrated by Andi Arndt and Jacob Morgan (Brilliance Publishing)
Science Fiction
The Deep, by Rivers Solomon with Daveed Diggs, William Hutson, and Jonathan Snipes, narrated by Daveed Diggs (S&S Audio)
Short Stories/Collections
The Chekhov Collection of Short Stories by Anton Chekhov, narrated by Richard Armitage (Audible Studios)
Spanish Language
El laberinto del fauno by Guillermo del Toro and Cornelia Funke, narrated by Luis Ávila (PRH Grupo Editorial México)
Thriller/Suspense
When No One Is Watching by Alyssa Cole, narrated by Susan Dalian and Jay Aaseng (HarperAudio)
Young Adult
Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo, narrated by Elizabeth Acevedo and Melania-Luisa Marte (HarperAudio)
Young Listeners
The Overground Railroad by Lesa Cline-Ransome, narrated by Shayna Small and Dion Graham (Live Oak Media)
