The Writers’ Prize – formerly the Rathbones Folio Prize – is open to all works of literature written in English and published in the UK. All genres and all forms of literature are eligible, except work written primarily for children. The format of first publication may be print or digital. The Prize will be awarded for books published in the previous calendar year.
The Prize is unique in that there are no publisher submissions. Instead, the Folio Academy nominates and judges titles for the Prize.
The Selection Process
Each year, three or five members of the Academy will be invited to judge the Prize. For 2024 only, there will be no Judges and the entire Folio Academy will be responsible for nominating and judging.
The sole criterion for judgment will be excellence: to identify works of literature in which the subjects being explored achieve their most perfect and thrilling expression.
In 2024, there will be three distinct shortlists in Fiction, Non-Fiction and Poetry.
Each category winner, selected from a shortlist of three, will receive a £2,000 prize. One book will then be crowned overall Prize winner, with the author receiving an additional £30,000.
The shortlist winners and overall winner will be announced at the annual Prize ceremony and presented with a cheque for their Prize money.
Further information is available by downloading the Prize constitution here.