News & Events
2008 Prize Schedule
May 2008 – Panel of judges announced
July 2008 – Longlist announced
Sept 2008 – Shorlist announced
November 2008 – Winner announced
Short List Announced
The announcement of the six finalists was made on the 16th September at the Olivier Stalls Foyer at the National Theatre, on London's Southbank. The Prize was delighted that our patron Aeronwy Thomas was there to welcome two of the finalists, Caroline Bird and Edward Hogan, who were able to attend along with their families, publishers, friends and supporters. Their excitement was palpable and really added to the occasion.
We are also delighted to be holding an event in New York on 27 October with 2 of the shortlisted authors. The event is being sponsored by The Gilman Foundation and we are extremely grateful to Natalie Moody, chair of the Foundation, for her help in organising this as well as our supporters in New York.
All six finalists will be with us in Wales from the 4th – 10th November to participate in our unique Education Programme with the University of Wales, and to take part in the annual Dylan Thomas Festival. The Education Programme was a significant factor in assisting our application for charitable status and I am delighted to say that the Dylan Thomas Prize is now a registered charity. Our registration number is 1125820. We are very grateful for the assistance provided by Nick Thomas and Mike Williams at John Collins & Partners LLP in making the application.
Our partners Carmarthenshire County Council will host the Official Welcome to Wales reception on 4 November, in Laugharne, the stunning and picturesque village that provided Dylan with such inspiration.
Tickets for the awards ceremony on 10 November are now available at a cost of £750 for a table of 10. Numbers are strictly limited so if you want to ensure you are able to attend, what promises to be a spectacular evening, please contact us at: tickets@dylanthomasprize.com
Celebrating creativity
The Prize award takes place at the culmination of the Dylan Thomas Festival, featuring international acts in the ugly lovely town of Dylan's birth. Running alongside the Festival and the Prize is the Dylan Thomas Fringe Festival; an event featuring the best in young talent across arts genres, from singer songwriters to aspiring visual artists and poets.
The Prize is also one of a raft of initiatives placing Wales on the international stage for arts and culture. Included alongside us is the internationally renowned visual arts prize: Artes Mundi.
Long List Announced
The Dylan Thomas Prize, one of the world’s largest international literary awards, today (13 July 2008) revealed its-long list in an exclusive announcement, hosted by Hollywood star and Dylan Thomas Prize Ambassador, Michael Sheen.
The 2008 long-list reflects the Dylan Thomas Prize’s global status, featuring authors hailing from numerous continents and countries, including South Africa, Kenya, North America, the UK, Iran and China. Amongst the list is the critically acclaimed 27 year-old writer Ross Raisin, with his compelling novel, God’s Own Country and Eric Gregory Award winner, Zoe Brigley, with The Secret. Caroline Bird, 21, is the youngest writer on the list with her second poetry collection, Trouble Came to the Turnip.
The books cover a broad range of issues, including relationships, religion, racial prejudice and bereavement. While many of the listed books are works of fiction, poetry is also strongly represented, with Jamaican–born Kei Miller, There is an Anger that Moves accompanying fellow poets Caroline Bird and Zoe Brigley on the list.
Peter Stead, Prize Founder and member of the judging panel, said: “The calibre of all these works is outstanding. The quality of entries this year has been exceptional, and it was a difficult task to pick out the sixteen authors. However, I believe that this year’s long list is one of the strongest ever seen amongst any international literary prize – and the fact that all these writers are under 30 years old clearly demonstrates the talent that is rising amongst the ranks of the world’s top writers.
“The Dylan Thomas Prize is important, not only in recognising talent and rewarding all forms of creative writing amongst the world’s young and flourishing authors, but also, in that the £60,000 prize will provide the winning writer with the resources necessary to continue creating these inspirational pieces of work. This award honours a truly great writer who died while still a young man and I am sure it will be a great encouragement to young writers everywhere.”
The biennial Prize, which is sponsored by Higher Education institution and degree awarding body the University of Wales, was established to honour the internationally esteemed works of Dylan Thomas. It is open to any published writer in the English language under the age of thirty. With a £60,000 winning reward, it has become one of the largest prizes in the literary world.
Michael Sheen, best known for his portrayal of Tony Blair in the award-winning film The Queen, said:
“It’s great to be back in Wales and it’s a privilege to be marking my return by being part of an award that honours a truly great writer, a fellow Welsh man, who has inspired so many young people, like myself, to follow what’s in their heart.
“Although Dylan Thomas died while still a young man, he demonstrated the kind of unique talent that the Dylan Thomas Prize looks to recognise and reward amongst young writers everywhere across the globe. The sixteen works long-listed this year are very impressive, and certainly showcase the excellence of writing that exists across the entire English-speaking world at present.”
Professor Marc Clement, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Wales, said: “The University of Wales is delighted to be the headline sponsor of this unique literary prize which encourages creativity and innovation in today’s young writers. We ourselves value the kind of vision and imagination shown by the sixteen long listed works and, given our commitment to the development of talent and potential in young people, it’s a natural fit for us to be involved in the Prize.”
The full long-list for the 2008 Dylan Thomas Prize is: Ross Raisin, God’s Own Country; Joe Dunthorne, Submarine; Ceridwen Dovey, Blood Kin; Susan Barker, The Orientalist and the Ghost; Priya Basil, Ishq and Mushq; Edward Hogan, Blackmoor; Ben Dolnick, Zoology; Susan Fletcher, Oystercatchers; Adam Green, Satsuma Sun Mover; Kei Miller, There is an Anger that Moves; Caroline Bird, Trouble Came to the Turnip; Zoe Brigley, The Secret; Porohistra Khakpour, Sons and Other Flammable Objects; Nan Le, The Boat; Karen Russell, St Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves and Dinaw Mengestu, Children of the Revolution.
The short list of entries will be announced in September ahead of the award ceremony in November.
£60,000 Prize Panel Revealed
One of the literary world’s highest paying awards, The Dylan Thomas Prize, this week revealed its main sponsor and prestigious judging panel for this year’s award in an exclusive announcement at the Hay Festival.
Major UK higher education institution and degree awarding body, the University of Wales, has taken over the prestigious role as headline sponsor of the £60,000 Prize, which is open to all published authors under the age of 30 from across the English speaking world. Special guests at the announcement included First Minister for Wales, Rhodri Morgan, who spoke out in support of the Prize and praised its work in promoting literature in Wales.
Peter Florence, Hay Festival founder and director, will Chair this year’s judging panel, which consists of some of the literary world’s most renowned figures – Andrew Davies, six-time BAFTA award-winning screenwriter; Owen Sheers, acclaimed poet and writer; Edward Nawotka, book columnist for Bloomberg News and staff writer for Publishers Weekly; Miranda Sawyer, critic, journalist and presenter; Kurt Heinzelman, poet, academic and Professor of English at the University of Texas; and Peter Stead, writer, media commentator, historian and the Dylan Thomas Prize’s honorary Chairman. The judging panel will determine the winner of the coveted £60,000 prize, which will be announced at an awards ceremony in Dylan Thomas’ hometown of Swansea, this November.
Speaking at the Hay event, judge, Owen Sheers said:
“I have recently been working in the US and have been proud to witness the news of the Dylan Thomas Prize spreading throughout New York writers and publishers. People are very impressed but also excited about this new prize and it is definitely serving as a porthole into Wales, raising the profile of literature in Wales and the UK, reaching out to the rest of the world.
“As well as being an international prize, I think it is important that the award covers so many genres. It will search out great writing wherever we find it, whether it’s a work of fiction or non-fiction, a short play or a poem. Sometimes people forget the time and effort it takes to write, and the great thing about this prize is that it gives people time – you can’t ask for more than that.”
Entries for the prize have been received from numerous countries, including Jamaica, Vietnam, North and South America, Iran, Kenya and the UK, which is in keeping with the headline sponsor’s commitment to its international role and enhancing its standing both in the UK and overseas. University of Wales Vice Chancellor, Professor Marc Clement, said:
“The University of Wales is delighted to be sponsoring the 2008 Dylan Thomas Prize. The Prize is focused on the development of talent and potential in young people, which is, of course, also at the heart of the work of the University. I am looking forward to following the progression of the Prize, as are all my colleagues and our students – who are, after all, the next generation of young writers and could be in contention for a Dylan Thomas Prize in the near future.”
Peter Stead, Judge and Honorary Chairman of the Dylan Thomas Prize, said:
“It is fitting that, as one of the world’s largest literary prizes, we are making this important announcement at the world’s largest literary festival. I have the greatest respect for the achievements of all my fellow judges; you could not have asked for a more enthusiastic, talented and experienced set of individuals to take on the task of awarding the £60,000 prize.
“Without the support we have received, in particular that of the University of Wales, it would not be possible to go ahead with the Prize. This award honours a truly great writer who died while still a young man and I am sure it will be a great encouragement to talented young writers everywhere.”
Last year, entries spanned four continents, with authors from Australia, North America, Africa and Europe in contention for the Prize. The biennial Prize, established to honour the internationally esteemed works of Dylan Thomas, is open to any published writer in the English language under the age of thirty. With a £60,000 reward for the winner, it has become one of the largest prizes in the literary world.
£1000 Young Writing Category!
The Dylan Thomas Prize is designed to not only reward the best young writers in the world but also to serve as a focus for and incentive for new exciting creative work that shows true innovation. It will focus the attention of the literary world on Wales and its role in identifying, supporting and generously rewarding cutting-edge writing.
Therefore it is only fitting that the Prize should now partner with Swansea Life to offer a new £1000 young writing category for budding writers under 21. The new category will dovetail with the main £60,000 competition both culminating in the Awards ceremony in November 2008. We have every hope that the winner of the young writing category will be encouraged to go on and enter the main competition in later years and possibly even win that also.
Rachel Trezise, the inaugural Prize winner, will be making an appearance as part of the Tenth Dylan Thomas Festival on 30th October, where she will be in conversation with both Peter Stead, Honorary Chair of the Prize and Kurt Heinzelman from Texas University, who remains a Prize Judge. Rachel will be talking about how the Prize has Prize has impacted on both her life and her writing. Writers thinking of entering the new young £1000 category should be encouraged to come along and take advice from the £60,000 winning author for tips on winning literary prizes.
Full Guidelines for entering the young writing category will be shortly announced through Swansea Life Magazine www.swansealife.co.uk