The 2024 Society of Authors’ Awards has opened for entries – nine prizes for outstanding works of fiction, poetry, non-fiction and children’s books.
Previous winners have included such names as Amrou Al-Kadhi, Maame Blue, Malika Booker, Ted Hughes, Ian McEwan, Kathy O’Shaughnessy and Zadie Smith. Among the 2023 SoA Award winners were Travis Alabanza, Jay Gao, Louise Kennedy and Daniel Wiles, with Nicola Griffith winning the inaugural ADCI Literary Prize for Spear (Tordotcom Publishing).
The Awards share the UK’s largest literary prize fund among works from authors at every stage of their careers.
The winners of the 2024 SoA Awards will be announced next Summer.
The SoA Awards are free to enter. Read our FAQs here and following the links below to find out more about each prize.
The awards now open for entries are:
ADCI Literary Prize
For a work by an author who self-identifies as disabled or chronically ill. It must be fiction and must contain one or more characters that are disabled and/or living with chronic illness.
The deadline for entries is 31 October 2023.
ALCS Tom-Gallon Trust Award
An annual award for a short story, financed by a bequest made by Miss Nellie Tom-Gallon in memory of her brother and generously supported by ALCS and Hawthornden Literary Retreat.
The deadline for entries is 31 October 2023.
Betty Trask Prize
Betty Trask left a bequest to the Society of Authors in 1983 to fund prizes for first novels written by authors under the age of 35 in a traditional or romantic, but not experimental, style.
The deadline for entries is 30 November 2023.
Eric Gregory Awards
The Eric Gregory Awards, for a collection by poets under the age of 30, were founded in 1960 by the late Dr Eric Gregory for the encouragement of young poets.
The deadline for entries is 31 October 2023.
McKitterick Prize
The McKitterick Prize is given annually to an author over the age of 40 for a first novel, published or unpublished, and endowed by Tom McKitterick – the former editor of Political Quarterly and author of an unpublished novel.
The deadline for entries is 31 October 2023.
Paul Torday Memorial Prize
The Paul Torday Memorial Prize celebrates a debut novel by authors aged 60 or over, set up in honour of Paul Torday by his family and generously supported by the Hawthornden Literary Retreat.
The deadline for entries is 30 November 2023.
Queen’s Knickers Award
This annual prize, generously funded by Nicholas Allan, author of The Queen’s Knickers, is awarded to an outstanding and quirky children’s original illustrated book for ages 0-7.
The deadline for entries is 30 November 2023.
Somerset Maugham Awards
W. Somerset Maugham set up a fund in 1947 to enable young writers to enrich their work by gaining experience of foreign countries. The awards are given for a published work of fiction, non-fiction or poetry.
The deadline for entries is 30 November 2023.
Gordon Bowker Volcano Prize
A prize awarded to a UK or Irish writer, or a writer currently resident in those countries, for a novel focusing on the experience of travel away from home. In memory of Malcolm Lowry and endowed by Gordon Bowker, his biographer, and Ramdei Bowker.
The deadline for entries is 31 October 2023.
Hi, are the Tom-Gallon judges the same as last year? Thanks
How about the non-fiction books?
Apologies for the slow response, Yveline. The Somerset Maugham Awards and the Travelling Scholarships reward non-fiction work. The Somerset Maugham Awards are open for entries now, while recipients of the Travelling Scholarships are selected directly by the assessors each year.
Is the Somerset Maugham award only for Young Writers, or can older but new writers apply ?
Hi Darian, the Somerset Maugham awards are for writers under 30.
Hi any SOA poetry awards for over 30’s?
Hi Maria, the Cholmondely awards are for poets of any age, but they do not take submissions and are instead chosen and awarded by a team of judges.