Authors’ Awards Eligibility Changes Approved

Picture of Martin Reed

Martin Reed

Martin was the SoA's Head of Communications from 2016 to 2024.

Following our Prizes consultation and approval from the Charity Commission, we are delighted to announce that the changes proposed to the eligibility criteria for three of our annual Authors’ Awards have now been approved.

From September to November 2016 we ran a public consultation on prize eligibility with the goal of making our awards more inclusive (specifically, the Somerset Maugham Awards, the Eric Gregory Awards and the Betty Trask Prize & Awards). We aim to reward as many authors as possible for their contributions to our literary culture.

Previously, the awards restricted applicants based on their nationality. For the Somerset Maugham and Eric Gregory Funds the qualification was to be a British subject by birth and for the Betty Trask Foundation the qualification was to be a Commonwealth citizen.

These criteria, established in the years 1946-1984, have become outdated and do not represent the UK’s cultural landscape. Under the new terms of the prizes, applicants must either be a British national or be resident in Great Britain and Northern Ireland (in the case of the Betty Trask Foundation, the Commonwealth) for three years prior to the date of submission for the award.

We would like to thank all who submitted feedback on the proposed changes, and we look forward to welcoming applications for the 2018 Authors’ Awards.

Read the full consultation in detail

11 September 2025

Update on the US class action

9 September 2025

Voting is underway for four available seats on the SoA board

8 September 2025

“No man but a blockhead ever wrote, except for money.”