The John Llewellyn Rhys Prize was a literary prize awarded annually for the best work of literature (fiction, non-fiction, poetry, or drama) by an author from the Commonwealth aged 35 or under, written in English and published in the United Kingdom.John Llewellyn Rhys Prize "John Llewellyn Rhys Prize" . Booktrust. Retrieved 29 January 2011. Established in 1942, it was one of the oldest literary awards in the UK.
Since 2011, the award has been suspended by funding problems. The last award was in 2010.Alison Flood. "John Llewellyn Rhys prize 'suspended'" , The Guardian, 29 June 2011
History The prize was initiated in 1942 by Jane Oliver in memory of her husband, John Llewellyn Rhys, a young author who was killed on 5 August 1940 while serving as a bomber pilot in the Royal Air Force.
From 1987 to 2003, the prize was funded by The Mail on Sunday. The newspaper withdrew in 2003, after the initial winner of 2002 prize, Hari Kunzru, rejected the prize and criticised the Mail of Sunday for "hostility towards black and Asian people" Subsequently, the prize was sponsored by BookTrust, an independent educational charity, but in June 2011 the award was suspended due to funding problems. Booktrust said that it "strongly" intended to bring the award "back with a bang as soon as possible" as it looked for outside funding sources.
In 2010, the winner received £5,000, while the runners-up each received £500.
Winners (1942–1999) +John Llewellyn Rhys Prize winners, 1942–1999 YearAuthor Title ISBN (or OCLC)Ref.1942 Sunk by a Mine 1943 Beauty for Ashes 1944 1945 1946 My Bird Sings 1947 Moondrop to Gascony 1948 1949 Maidens' Trip 1950 Adventure Lit Their Star 1951 1952 No award1953 1954 1955 1956 Voices Under the Window 1957 1958 1959 1960 At Fever Pitch 1961 Flight into Camden 1962 1963 Two Lives 1964 Up the Junction 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 Without a City Wall 1970 1971 Fireflies 1972 1973 1974 1975 Knuckle Cushing's Crusade1976 No award1977 Vorticism & Abstract Art in the First Machine Age 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 Dangerous Play 1985 Out of the Blue 1986 Loving Roger 1987 1988 1989 Sylvia Townsend Warner 1990 Ludwig Wittgenstein: The Duty of Genius 1991 Night Geometry and the Garscadden Trains 1992 Sweet Thames 1993 On Foot to the Golden Horn: A Walk to Istanbul 1994 What a Carve Up! 1995 Motel Nirvana 1996 Heading Inland 1997 Eclipse of the Sun 1998 1999 Ghostwritten
Winners and shortlists (since 2000) +John Llewellyn Rhys Prize winners and shortlists, 2000–2010YearAuthorTitleResultRef.2000LeadvilleWinnerFinalistFinalistHungry for Home Leaving the Blaskets: A Journey from the Edge of IrelandFinalistPobby and DinganFinalistWhite TeethFinalist2001WinnerBeyond Calling DistanceFinalist2002Virgins of VeniceWinnerThursday's ChildFinalistFinalistVirgins of VeniceFinalistKartographyFinalist2003Daughters of JerusalemWinner2004Boy AWinnerPurple HibiscusFinalistFinalistFinalistSome Great ThingFinalistFinalist2005Beasts of No NationWinnerTokyo CancelledFinalistFinalistFinalistNewfoundlandFinalistGem Squash TokolosheFinalist2006/7WinnerBlood KinFinalistIngloriousFinalistFinalistJoshua SpasskyFinalistOccupational HazardsFinalist2008WinnerFinalistFinalistFinalistGod's Own CountryFinalistSelling Your Father's BonesFinalist2009After the Fire, a Still Small VoiceWinnerFinalistBetween the Assassinations FinalistFinalistSix Months in SudanFinalistWaste: Uncovering the Global Food ScandalFinalist2010WinnerDelusions of GenderFinalistCorragFinalistFinalistBlack Mamba BoyFinalistBomber CountyFinalist Notes
See also
List of British literary awards List of literary awards List of years in literature
References
External links at BookTrust. Retrieved 29 January 2011.