Charlotte Edwardes

Charlotte Edwardes is an interviewer at the top of her game. She is equally at home interviewing actors, politicians and writers; whoever the subject, she is able to win their trust and confidence. Guardian readers invariably come away from her interviews entertained, informed and with a much better understanding of their subject.

Her interview with actor and former child star Kieran Culkin perfectly captures his hyperactivity, charisma and charm. In it, Culkin confessed he spiked a prop spliff with real drugs on the press night of a play he was starring in, an anecdote that was followed up by media worldwide, including Rolling Stone, Deadline and Variety.

Edwardes interview with Nigerian-American author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie brings an easy and immediate intimacy, with Adichie inviting Edwarded into her home to discuss her comeback novel. In the interview, Edwardes reveal Adichie is now mother to twin boys and encourages the writer to reflect on cancel culture, which she had encountered after commenting on the gender debate.

Her interview with then-foreign secretary David Lammy involved unprecedented access, as Edwardes followed Lammy from the foreign office to his constituency to a community centre, resulting in a rich and multifaceted portrait at a time of acute international crisis.

Judges comments: “Charlotte's writing paints a picture that captures the energy of the subject so vibrantly you feel as if you are in the room with them… She creates a sense of intimacy between reader and subject.”