The John Llewellyn Rhys Prize rewards the best work of literature (fiction, non-fiction, poetry, drama) by a UK or Commonwealth writer aged 35 or under.
This important prize is awarded in honour of the writer John Llewellyn Rhys, who was killed in action in the Second World War. It was founded 67 years by John Llewellyn Rhys's young wife, also a writer, who began the award to honour and celebrate his life.
Past winners include Margaret Drabble (1966), William Boyd (1982), Jeanette Winterson (1987), Ray Monk (1990), Matthew Kneale (1992), David Mitchell (1999) and Sarah Hall (2006/07). Last year's winner was Henry Hitchings for The Secret Life of Words.
2009 prize
The deadline for entries to the 2009 prize has now closed.
Judges
The judges for the 2009 prize are Louise Doughty (Chair), Joanna Kavenna and Stephen Knight.
Louise Doughty is a novelist, playwright and critic. She is the author of five novels; Crazy Paving, Dance With Me, Honey-Dew, Fires in the Dark and Stone Cradle, and one work of non-fiction A Novel in a Year. She has also written five plays for radio.
She has judged many prizes for emerging authors, including the Orange Award for New Writers, and was a judge for the 2008 Man Booker Prize for fiction. Her new novel, Whatever You Love, will be published in 2010.
Joanna Kavenna grew up in various parts of Britain, and has also lived in the USA, France, Germany, Scandinavia and the Baltic States. Her first book The Ice Museum was about travelling in the far North. Her most recent book, Inglorious, was shortlisted for the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize 2006/7 and won the 2008 Orange Award for New Writers.
Kavenna’s writing has appeared in the London Review of Books, the Guardian and Observer, the Times Literary Supplement, the International Herald Tribune, the Spectator and the Telegraph, among other publications
Stephen Knight read English at Jesus College, Oxford, after which he studied at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School to become a freelance director with a particular interest in new writing. He is the author of Flowering Limbs, which was shortlisted for the Mail on Sunday/John Llewellyn Rhys Prize and the TS Eliot Prize; Dream City Cinema, also shortlisted for the TS Eliot Prize; and, for younger readers, Sardines and Other Poems.
He has also published a novel, Mr Schnitzel, which won the Arts Council of Wales Book of the Year in 2001. His fiction and poetry reviews appear in the TLS and the Independent on Sunday.
The winner will be announced on 30 November 2009.
2008 prize
The winner of the 2008 John Llewellyn Rhys Prize was The Secret Life of Words by Henry Hitchings (John Murray)
Henry Sutton, Chair of Judges, said:
'The brilliance of Hitchings' The Secret Life of Words lies in its energy, urgency and accessibility, beyond the fact that it reminds us of just how important etymology is to understanding the history of a fractured world. Written with an unnerving precision, clarity and grace, Hitchings’ scope is vast, tackling issues of communication, immigration, war, religion and community. Yet he never forgets that underpinning it all is the dynamism of English – truly a world language.
'This is a big, important book, a landmark in many ways, which will be read and enjoyed for years.'
Read the press release about the 2008 winner (Microsoft Word .doc format 335Kb)
2008 shortlist
The shortlist for the 2008 prize, which was announced on Monday 3 November, is:
The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga (Atlantic Books)
The Broken Word by Adam Foulds (Jonathan Cape)
The Secret Life of Words by Henry Hitchings (John Murray)
The Bloody White Baron by James Palmer (Faber and Faber)
God’s Own Country by Ross Raisin (Viking)
Selling Your Father’s Bones by Brian Schofield (HarperPress)
Read more about 2008's shortlisted books
Read more about 2008's shortlisted authors
Read the press release about the 2008 shortlist (Microsoft Word .doc format 328Kb)
The judges for the 2008 prize were:
Henry Sutton (Chair), author and books editor of the Daily Mirror
Joolz Denby, author and poet
Sarah Hall, author and winner of the 2006/07 John Llewellyn Rhys Prize
Read about the judges for the 2008 prize (Adobe Acrobat .pdf format 82Kb)
The winner received £5,000 and the other shortlisted authors each received £500.
2006/07 prize
Winner
The winner of the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize 2006/07 was Sarah Hall for her novel The Carhullan Army.
Sarah received a cheque for £5,000 at a ceremony at City Inn, Westminster, London, on 29 November 2007. The other shortlisted authors receive £500 each.
Read the press release about the 2006/07 winner (Microsoft Word .doc format 33Kb)
2006/07 prize shortlist
Blood Kin by Ceridwen Dovey (Atlantic)
The Carhullan Army by Sarah Hall (Faber)
Inglorious by Joanna Kavenna (Faber)
The Wild Places by Robert Macfarlane (Granta)
Joshua Spassky by Gwendoline Riley (Jonathan Cape)
Occupational Hazards by Rory Stewart (Picador)
The judges for the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize 2006/07 were:
Suzi Feay (Chair), Literary Editor of the Independent on Sunday
Peter Hobbs, author
Michèle Roberts, author and poet
Download judges announcement press release (Microsoft Word .doc format 95Kb)
2005 prize
Winner
The winner of the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize 2005 was Beasts of No Nation by Uzodinma Iweala, published by John Murray.
Publisher Roland Philips collected the award on behalf of the author, who was unable to attend the ceremony at City Inn, Westminster, on 6 December 2006 (the prize was awarded retrospectively).
2005 shortlist
Tokyo Cancelled by Rana Dasgupta (Fourth Estate)
The Short Day Dying by Peter Hobbs (Faber and Faber)
Beasts of No Nation by Uzodinma Iweala (John Murray)
The State of the Prisons by Sinéad Morrissey (Carcanet Press)
Newfoundland by Rebbecca Ray (Hamish Hamilton)
Gem Squash Tokoloshe by Rachel Zadok (Pan Macmillan)
The judges were:
Courttia Newland (Chair), author
Lemn Sissay, poet
Benedicte Page, journalist
Prize administration
Prize information
Tarryn McKay
t 020 8516 2972
e tarryn@booktrust.org.uk
Press enquiries
Katherine Solomon
t 020 8875 4583
e katherine.solomon@booktrust.org.uk
