Dylan Thomas Prize

The Dylan Thomas Prize is the world’s top cash prize for young writers. The annual prize, named in honor of the Welsh writer and poet Dylan Thomas, brings international prestige and a cash award of £30,000 ($46,000). It is open to published writers in the English language under the age of thirty. The prize is awarded bi-annually. Entries for the prize are submitted by the publisher, editor, or agent; for theatre plays and screenplays, by the producer.

A Dylan Thomas literary prize was first awarded during the 1980s, known as the Dylan Thomas Award, following the campaign to have a plaque in the poet's memory placed in Westminster Abbey.^[1] Surplus income from a fund-raising concert sponsored by the television company HTV were donated to allow a prize of £1000 to be awarded annually.^[1] After several years, the prize was discontinued for lack of finance. It was revived, in a different form, in 2004, sponsored by Electronic Data Systems, at that time one of Swansea's largest employers.^[2]

The Prize honors its shortlist finalists and annual winner for published work in the broad range of literary forms in which Dylan Thomas excelled, including poetry, prose, fictional drama, short story collections, novels, novellas, stage plays and screenplays. “We want the world to be aware of the Welsh interest in promoting new writing. Our Prize provides an inspiration for a whole new generation of writers throughout the English-speaking world,” said Peter Stead, Chair of The Dylan Thomas Prize.

2010

Winner

• Elyse Fenton, Clamor

Shortlist^[3]

• Caroline Bird, Watering Can
• Elyse Fenton, Clamor
• Eleanor Catton, The Rehearsal
• Karan Mahajan, Family Planning
• Nadifa Mohamed, Black Mamba Boy
• Emily Mackie, And this is true

2008

Winner

• Nam Le, The Boat

Shortlist

• Caroline Bird, Trouble Came to the Turnip
• Ross Raisin, God’s Own Country
• Ceridwen Dovey, Blood Kin
• Edward Hogan, Blackmoor
• Nam Le, The Boat
• Dinaw Mengestu, Children of the Revolution

2006

Winner

• Rachel Trezise, Fresh Apples

Shortlist^[4]

• Lucy Caldwell, Where They Were Missed
• Ian Holding, Unfeeling
• Nick Laird, Utterly Monkey and To a Fault (Two entries)
• James Scudamore, The Amnesia Clinic
• Rachel Trezise, Fresh Apples
• Liza Ward, Outside Valentine

References

1. ^ ^{a b} About, The Dylan Prize website
2. ^ New Writing International, 22 Sept 2006
3. ^ 2010 Shortlist
4. ^ 2006 Shortlist announced in The Independent

External links

• The Dylan Thomas Prize Homepage