Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year Award

The Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year award is a literary prize awarded to a British author under the age of 35 for a published work of fiction, non-fiction or poetry. It is administered by the Society of Authors^[1] and has been running since 1991.^[2]

History

In 1999, Paul Farley's The Boy from the Chemist is Here to See You "was so well received", according to the Encyclopedia of British Writers, that "it was named Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year Award".^[3]

The Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year Award originally ran between 1991 and 2009.^[4] It was re-invigorated with the support of literary agents Peters Fraser + Dunlop in 2015 under the new name Sunday Times / Peters Fraser + Dunlop Young Writer of the Year Award.^[5]

Winners

• Sarah Howe, Loop of Jade (2015)^[6]
• Ross Raisin, God's Own Country (2009)^[7]
• Adam Foulds, The Truth about these Strange Times (2008)^[8]
• Naomi Alderman, Disobedience (2007)
• Robert Macfarlane, Mountains of the Mind (2004)
• William Fiennes, The Snow Geese (2003)
• Zadie Smith, White Teeth (2001)
• Sarah Waters, Affinity (2000)
• Paul Farley, The Boy from the Chemist is Here to See You (1999) ^[3]
• Patrick French, Liberty or Death (1998)
• Francis Spufford, I May Be Some Time (1997)
• Katherine Pierpoint, Truffle Beds (1996)
• Andrew Cowan, Pig (1995)
• William Dalrymple, City of Djinns (1994)
• Simon Armitage, Xanadu and Kid (1993)
• Caryl Phillips, Cambridge (1992) ^[9]
• Helen Simpson, Four Bare Legs in a Bed (1991) ^[10]

No award was made in 2002, 2005 or 2006.^[11][12]

References

1. The Society of Authors: Grants and Prizes
2. Getting a Life by Helen Simpson powells.com
3. George Stade (2009). Encyclopedia of British Writers, 1800 to the Present, Volume 2. Infobase Publishing. p. 162.
4. "Young Writer Of The Year Award". Peters Fraser and Dunlop (PFD). Retrieved 2015-12-11.
5. "Sunday Times to relaunch Young Writer of the Year competition | The Bookseller". www.thebookseller.com. Retrieved 2015-12-11.
6. "2015 Winner - Peters Fraser and Dunlop (PFD)". Peters Fraser and Dunlop (PFD). Retrieved 2015-12-11.
7. Katie Allen, "Fifth time lucky for Raisin", The Bookseller, 6 April 2009.
8. Anna Richardson, "Fork-lift driver wins Sunday Times award", The Bookseller, 8 April 2008.
9. Elizabeth Kowaleski-Wallace (2006). The British Slave Trade And Public Memory. Columbia University Press. p. 68.
10. Andrew Maunder (2007). "Simpson, Helen". The Facts On File Companion to the British Short Story. Infobase Publishing. p. 387.
11. Staff Writer."And the shortlist is..." The Sunday Times, 11 March 2007
12. The Society of Authors: The Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year (past winners)