The Ruth Hadden Memorial Award is a former award for the best first novel published in Britain, which was administered by the Booktrust. It was awarded in the early 1990s and has now been discontinued.Ruth Hadden Memorial Award, Booktrust (accessed 18 February 2009)
The award was unusual in that the prize was awarded to a completed manuscript before acceptance by a publisher, and the prize money (in 1994, £2000) went to the publishers of the novel to spend on promoting it.Andrew Motion (14 February 1993). Books (Last Word): Egos and quids. The Observer, p. 61Louisa Young (28 August 1994). Love thy neighbour; Books. The Sunday Times, p. 8David Robson (8 November 1992). Politics, prickles and perversity. David Robson considers a political Julian Barnes and other new fiction. The Sunday Telegraph, p. 80
Winners 1991: The Last Room, by Elean ThomasJohnson, Buzz. Elean Thomas: Writer with a message of human rights. The Guardian (31 July 2004) (accessed 18 February 2009) 1992: Leaving the Light On, by Catherine MerrimanAcademi: Members Committee (accessed 18 February 2009) 1993: In the Place of Fallen Leaves, by Tim Pears 1994: Pig, by Andrew Cowan
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