The David Cohen Prize for Literature (est. 1993) is a British literary award given to a writer, novelist, short-story writer, poet, essayist or dramatist in recognition of an entire body of work, written in the English language. The prize is funded by the John S. Cohen Foundation and administered by Arts Council England. The writer must be a British or Irish citizen. The winner is chosen by nomination and entries are not required. The prize is valued at £40,000.
In 2005, the David Cohen Prize incorporated the Clarissa Luard Award. The winner of the David Cohen Prize chooses the recipient of the Clarissa Luard Award, valued at £12,500 (funded by the Arts Council of England), and given to a writer under the age of 35 or an organisation that supports young writers. In 2017, Arts Council England launched the Clarissa Luard Award for Independent Publishing, managed by New Writing North, to recognise and celebrate the "adventurousness, innovative spirit and creativity" of independent literary publishing in the UK and Ireland.Onwuemezi, Natasha. "New £10,000 award for indie publishers launches", The Bookseller, 11 May 2017."Clarissa Luard Award for Independent Publishers" , New Writing North.
List of recipients
1993: V. S. Naipaul 1995: Harold Pinter 1997: Muriel Spark 1999: William Trevor 2001: Doris Lessing 2003: Beryl Bainbridge and Thom Gunn (joint winners) 2005: Michael Holroyd 2007: Derek Mahon 2009: Seamus Heaney 2011: Julian Barnes 2013: Hilary Mantel 2015: Tony Harrison 2017: Tom Stoppard 2019: Edna O'Brien 2021: Colm Tóibín 2023: John Burnside 2025: Alan Hollinghurst
References
External links The David Cohen Prize for Literature, Arts Council of England, official website