[1] They are run by coffeehouse chain Caffè Nero in partnership with the Booksellers' Association, Brunel University London, and Right To Dream, "a football community dedicated to expanding people's understanding of excellence through football".
There is then a further selection process before one of the category winners is awarded the £30,000 "Golden Nero" award as "Book of the year".
The awards are open to books published in the UK and Ireland, and at the time of entry the author must be alive and have been resident in the UK or Ireland for three years.
The criteria for the awards are described as: "Our judges will be asked to choose the books they would most want to press into the hands of friends and family for their quality and readability.
"[3] For the 2023 awards, announced in 2024 for books published predominantly in 2023, the timeline was:[4] A similar pattern of eligibility and submission dates has been announced for the 2024 awards.