The John Llewellyn Rhys Prize was a
literary prize awarded annually for the best work of literature (fiction, non-fiction, poetry, drama) by an author from the
Commonwealth
A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...
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 is one of the oldest literary awards in the UK.
[
Since 2011 the award has been suspended due to 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
Jane may refer to:
* Jane (given name), a feminine given name
* Jane (surname), related to the given name
Film and television
* ''Jane'' (1915 film), a silent comedy film directed by Frank Lloyd
* ''Jane'' (2016 film), a South Korean drama fil ...
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 2002 prize was awarded to Mary Laven. 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)
Source: 1942–2003
Winners and short lists (since 2000)
Source: 2007–2010[
*''Note'': The 2002 prize was initially awarded to Hari Kunzru for his book '']The Impressionist
''The Impressionist'' is Hari Kunzru's debut novel, first published in 2002. Kunzru received the Betty Trask Award and the Somerset Maugham Award for the book's publication.
Plot
The novel concerns Pran Nath (known throughout the book by severa ...
'' on 20 November 2003, but the author decided to decline the award due to its sponsorship by '' The Mail on Sunday''.
See also
* List of British literary awards
* List of literary awards
* List of years in literature
References
{{Reflist
External links
John Llewellyn Rhys Prize
official site at Booktrust. Retrieved 29 January 2011.
Awards established in 1942
1942 establishments in the United Kingdom
2010 disestablishments in the United Kingdom
English literary awards
Literary awards honouring young writers
British poetry awards
Awards disestablished in 2010