Desmond Elliott Prize

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The Desmond Elliott Prize is an annual award for the best debut novel written in English and published in the UK.[1] The winning novel can be from any genre of fiction and must exhibit depth and breadth with a compelling narrative.[2] The winner receives £10,000. The prize is named in honour of the distinguished late publisher and literary agent, Desmond Elliott.[3]

History and administration[edit]

The Desmond Elliott Prize was inaugurated at the bequest of Desmond Elliott, who died in August 2003. He stipulated that his literary estate should be invested in a charitable trust that would fund a literary award "to enrich the careers of new writers".[4] The prize is therefore dedicated to supporting and celebrating aspiring authors and their fiction.[5]

The Desmond Elliott Prize was launched in 2007 as a biennial award for a first novel published in the UK. The inaugural prize was won by Nikita Lalwani for her novel, Gifted, in June 2008.[citation needed] After the successful launch of the prize, the trustees decided to make it an annual award.[6] Edward Hogan won the prize in 2009 for his novel Blackmoor,[7] Ali Shaw the 2010 prize for his novel The Girl with Glass Feet[8] and Anjali Joseph in 2011 for her novel Saraswati Park.[9]

The prize is administered by Emma Manderson and the trustees of The Desmond Elliott Charitable Trust, a UK charitable foundation.[10] The Trust is chaired by Dallas Manderson, former Group Sales Director of the Orion Publishing Group. He is joined by Christine Berry, a partner in the charities group at Taylor Vinters, a Cambridge-based law firm, and Liz Thomson, an arts journalist and author. Both Dallas and Christine worked with Desmond Elliott at Arlington Books.[citation needed]

Judging[edit]

The panel of three judges, which changes each year, is selected by the trustees of the prize.

When selecting a winner, the judges look for a novel with a compelling narrative, arresting character, and which is both vividly written and confidently realised.[11]

Previous chairs of the prize include author Sam Llewellyn (2012), BBC broadcaster and presenter Edward Stourton (2011), and authors Elizabeth Buchan (2010), Candida Lycett Green (2009) and Penny Vincenzi (2008).

Rules and entry[edit]

The prize is awarded annually for the best first full-length work of fiction written in English published in book form in the UK, written by an author whose permanent place of residence is in the UK or Ireland. Entries are considered from all fiction genres.

The prize is selected from a longlist of 10 titles, followed by a shortlist of three outstanding books. For inclusion in this shortlist, a novel must have the full support of at least one judge in whose opinion it is a valid contender for the Prize. Each shortlisted author receives a hamper from Fortnum & Mason.

The winner of the Desmond Elliott Prize is announced at an awards ceremony held at Fortnum & Mason, Desmond Elliott's local grocer.[12]

Winners and shortlists[edit]

Year Author Book Publisher Ref.
2008 Nikita Lalwani Gifted Penguin Books
Tom Rob Smith Child 44 Simon & Schuster
John Walsh Sunday at The Cross Bones Fourth Estate
2009 Edward Hogan Blackmoor Simon & Schuster [13]
Nathalie Abi-Ezzi A Girl Made of Dust Fourth Estate
Anthony Quinn The Rescue Man Jonathan Cape
2010 Ali Shaw The Girl with Glass Feet Atlantic Books [14]
Maria Allen Before the Earthquake Tindal Street Press [15]
Jacob Polley Talk of the Town Picador [15]
2011 Anjali Joseph Saraswati Park Fourth Estate
Ned Beauman Boxer, Beetle Sceptre
Stephen Kelman Pigeon English Bloomsbury
2012 Grace McCleen The Land of Decoration Chatto & Windus [16]
Patrick McGuinness The Last Hundred Days Seren
Rachel Joyce The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry Doubleday
2013 Ros Barber The Marlowe Papers Sceptre [17][18]
Jenni Fagan The Panopticon Heinemann
Gavin Extence The Universe Versus Alex Woods Hodder & Stoughton
2014 Eimear McBride A Girl Is a Half-formed Thing Galley Beggar Press [19][20]
Robert Allison The Letter Bearer Catapult Press [21]
D. W. Wilson Ballistics Bloomsbury [21]
2015 Claire Fuller Our Endless Numbered Days Penguin Books [22][23]
Emma Healey Elizabeth is Missing Harper Publishing [24]
Carys Bray A Song for Issy Bradley Ballantine Books [24]
2016 Lisa McInerney The Glorious Heresies John Murray [25][26]
Gavin McCrea Mrs. Engels Scribe Publications [27]
Julia Rochester The House at the Edge of the World Penguin Books [27]
2017 Francis Spufford Golden Hill Faber & Faber [28][29]
Kit de Waal My Name is Leon Viking Press [30]
Rowan Hisayo Buchanan Harmless Like You Sceptre
2018 Preti Taneja We that are Young Galley Beggar Press [31][32]
Paula Cocozza How to be Human Metropolitan Books [33]
Gail Honeyman Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine Viking Press
2019 Claire Adam Golden Child Faber & Faber [34][35]
Michael Donkor Hold Fourth Estate [36]
Anna Mackmin Devoured Propolis Press [36]
2020 Derek Owusu That Reminds Me Merky Books [37][38]
Okechukwu Nzelu The Private Joys of Nnenna Maloney Dialogue Books [39]
Abi Daré The Girl with the Louding Voice Sceptre [39]
2021 A.K. Blakemore The Manningtree Witches Granta [40]
Rebecca Watson little scratch Faber & Faber
Eley Williams The Liar's Dictionary William Heinemann
2022 Maddie Mortimer Maps of Our Spectacular Bodies Picador [41]
Luke Cassidy Iron Annie Bloomsbury [42][43]
Tice Cin Keeping the House And Other Stories [42][43]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Richard Lea, "Anjali Joseph wins Desmond Elliott prize", The Guardian, 24 June 2011.
  2. ^ "Harper Collins". Archived from the original on 21 October 2011. Retrieved 15 February 2012.
  3. ^ "'Overnight success' in line for Desmond Elliott prize". BBC News. 25 May 2011. Retrieved 10 June 2016.
  4. ^ Katie Allen, "Shukla, Connolly, Kelman on Desmond Elliott longlist", The Bookseller, 19 April 2011.
  5. ^ "Book Prize Information - Desmond Elliott Prize". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 10 June 2016.
  6. ^ Katie Allen, "Desmond Elliott Prize goes annual", The Bookseller, 23 June 2008.
  7. ^ "Leicester Square placard holder Edward Hogan becomes literary prize winner". The Telegraph. 25 June 2009. Retrieved 10 June 2016.
  8. ^ Maggie Hartford, "Desmond Elliott prize for novel goes to former Bodleian employee", The Oxford Times, 28 June 2010.
  9. ^ Anupama Krishnakumar, "Discovering Saraswati Park – An Interview with Anjali Joseph", Spark Magazine, 5 August 2011.
  10. ^ "THE DESMOND ELLIOTT CHARITABLE TRUST :: OpenCharities". Retrieved 10 June 2016.
  11. ^ "Foyles". Archived from the original on 17 January 2013. Retrieved 15 February 2012.
  12. ^ "About the Prize - The Desmond Elliott Prize". 20 December 2013. Archived from the original on 30 October 2013. Retrieved 10 June 2016.
  13. ^ "Awards: Desmond Elliott Prize". Shelf Awareness. 25 June 2009. Retrieved 10 June 2022.
  14. ^ "Awards: Desmond Elliott Prize; Indigo Teen Read Awards". Shelf Awareness. 24 June 2010. Retrieved 10 June 2022.
  15. ^ a b "Awards: Desmond Elliott Shortlist; Theakstons Longlist". Shelf Awareness. 24 May 2010. Retrieved 10 June 2022.
  16. ^ "Award: Desmond Elliott Prize". Shelf Awareness. 29 June 2012. Retrieved 10 June 2022.
  17. ^ Alison Flood (27 June 2013). "Desmond Elliott prize goes to former computer programmer". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 June 2013.
  18. ^ "Awards: Desmond Elliott; Scottish Children's Books". Shelf Awareness. 28 June 2013. Retrieved 10 June 2022.
  19. ^ "Awards: SIBA, Desmond Elliott". Shelf Awareness. 7 July 2014. Retrieved 10 June 2022.
  20. ^ "The 2014 Prize". The Desmond Elliott Prize. 3 July 2014. Archived from the original on 25 July 2014. Retrieved 19 July 2014.
  21. ^ a b "Awards: Desmond Elliott Shortlist". Shelf Awareness. 29 May 2014. Retrieved 10 June 2022.
  22. ^ "Claire Fuller wins debut-novel Desmond Elliott Prize". BBC News. 1 July 2015. Retrieved 2 July 2015.
  23. ^ "Awards: Desmond Elliott; CWA Daggers". Shelf Awareness. 2 July 2015. Retrieved 10 June 2022.
  24. ^ a b "Awards: Man Booker International; Wodehouse; Desmond Elliott". Shelf Awareness. 20 May 2015. Retrieved 10 June 2022.
  25. ^ Flood, Allison (22 June 2016). "Lisa McInerney's 'astounding' debut novel wins Desmond Elliott prize". the Guardian. Retrieved 10 June 2022.
  26. ^ Pearson, Ridley. "Shelf Awareness for Friday, June 24, 2016". www.shelf-awareness.com. Retrieved 10 June 2022.
  27. ^ a b "Awards: British Book Industry; Ondaatje; Desmond Elliott; CrimeFest". Shelf Awareness. 10 May 2016. Retrieved 10 June 2022.
  28. ^ Natasha Onwuemezi, "Golden Hill wins £10k Desmond Elliott Prize", The Bookseller, 21 June 2017.
  29. ^ "Awards: Desmond Elliott Winner". Shelf Awareness. 26 June 2017. Retrieved 10 June 2022.
  30. ^ "Awards: Desmond Elliott; Bread & Roses". Shelf Awareness. 12 May 2017. Retrieved 10 June 2022.
  31. ^ "Preti Taneja Wins 2018 Desmond Elliot Prize for "Awe-Inspiring" We That Are Young". Desmond Elliot Prize. Archived from the original on 7 September 2018.
  32. ^ "Awards: Desmond Elliott Winner; Midwest Booksellers Choice Finalists". Shelf Awareness. 21 June 2018. Retrieved 10 June 2022.
  33. ^ "Awards: Desmond Elliott; Judith A. Markowitz". Shelf Awareness. 8 May 2018. Retrieved 10 June 2022.
  34. ^ "Awards: Desmond Elliott, Society of Authors Winners". Shelf Awareness. 20 June 2019. Retrieved 10 June 2022.
  35. ^ "Golden Child Claire Adam".
  36. ^ a b "Awards: Desmond Elliott Shortlist". Shelf Awareness. 13 May 2019. Retrieved 10 June 2022.
  37. ^ "Merky author Derek Owusu wins Desmond Elliott prize for 'profound' debut". the Guardian. 2 July 2020. Retrieved 10 June 2022.
  38. ^ "Awards: Desmond Elliott Winner". Shelf Awareness. 6 July 2020. Retrieved 10 June 2022.
  39. ^ a b "Awards: Desmond Elliott Shortlist; IndieReader Discovery Winners". Shelf Awareness. 3 June 2020. Retrieved 10 June 2022.
  40. ^ Flood, Alison. "AK Blakemore wins Desmond Elliott prize for 'stunning' debut novel". The Guardian. Guardian News & Media Limited. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
  41. ^ "Mortimer wins 2022 Desmond Elliott Prize". Books+Publishing. 4 July 2022. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
  42. ^ a b "Awards: Desmond Elliott Shortlist". Shelf Awareness. 8 June 2022. Retrieved 10 June 2022.
  43. ^ a b "Desmond Elliott Prize 2022 shortlist announced". Books+Publishing. 7 June 2022. Retrieved 8 June 2022.
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