The Society of Authors 2024 Awards will be celebrated at tonight’s SoA Awards ceremony at Southwark Cathedral, as 31 winners share a prize fund of over £140,000. The awards are for authors at all stages of their careers, for books of poetry, fiction and non-fiction, across a variety of genres.

This year, SoA Management Committee Chair Vanessa Fox O’Loughlin will host the awards, with a keynote speech from bestselling author Kate Mosse. For those viewing from home, the awards will be livestreamed from 7pm.

Speaking about the awards, Kate Mosse said:

"All literary awards celebrate outstanding, exceptional, imaginative, ground-breaking work. What I love about the SoA Awards is that they honour many authors, working in a whole range of disciplines and at different stages in their writing careers.  Now, more than ever, books matter – they offer us the chance to stand in other people’s shoes, to hear about lives other than our own, they encourage empathy and conversation. I know that when we gather together on 20th June, we will do so in the spirit of every voice mattering, every story being something to celebrate."

The Full List of Award Winners for 2024 Are:

The ADCI Literary Prize 

Winner: Mother Sea by Lorraine Wilson

Love and loss, family and community — this haunting, heart-wrenching masterwork explores climate change and the conflict between corporations, modern medicine and indigenous island culture in enthralling style, commented LoveReading Expert Joanne Owen.

Runner-Up: All The Little Bird Hearts by Viktoria Lloyd-Barlow

Sponsored by Arts Council England, ALCS, the Drusilla Harvey Memorial Fund, and the Professional Writing Academy, the Authors with Disabilities and Chronic Illnesses  (ADCI) Literary Prize is awarded to a disabled or chronically ill writer, for an outstanding novel containing a disabled or chronically ill character or characters. Judged by Nii Ayikwei Parkes, Penny Batchelor, Rowan Hisayo Buchanan, Julia Lund, Karl Knights, Selina Mills, Vikki Patis and Chloe Timms. Total prize fund: £2,000

ALCS Tom-Gallon Trust Award

Winner: This Story by Alexandra Ye

Sponsored by ALCS and Hawthornden Foundation, the ALCS Tom-Gallon Trust Award is awarded for a short story by a writer who has had at least one short story accepted for publication. Judged by Sophie Haydock, Yan Ge, Brian Chikwava and Peter Hobbs. Total prize fund: £4,500

Judge Peter Hobbs said: "This Story is a small miracle – perfectly crafted, funny and surprising, with everything in it ringing only of beautifully-observed truth. It’s written with great skill and humanity, and carries the weight and force of its themes effortlessly. I couldn’t have hoped for a better winner."

Runner-Up: Little Green Man by Edward Hogan

Betty Trask Prize

The Betty Trask Prize is presented for a first novel by a writer under 35. Judged by Anjali Joseph, Michael Donkor and Alex Preston. Total prize fund: £26,200

Winner: The New Life by Tom Crewe

Judge Alex Preston said: "I was blown away by Tom Crewe's The New Life. It's a brilliantly complex and moving novel that does what the best historical fiction does: bringing the past alive in your head and your heart. It's extraordinary to read a debut novel that has such subtlety, such range of both language and feeling. Rarely do I feel so certain of the truth of that first novel cliché: this is the start of a dazzling career."

Cholmondeley Awards

Six winners each awarded £1,400. The Cholmondeley Awards are awarded for contributions to poetry. Judged by Moniza Alvi, Malika Booker, Hannah Lowe and Lachlan Mackinnon. Total prize fund: £8,400.  

The winners are Fiona Benson, Gerry Cambridge, Julia Copus, Leontia Flynn, Helen Ivory and Roger Robinson.

"The Cholmondeley Awards have been, since they were introduced in 1966, important honorary awards that recognise poets’ sustained excellence across a body of work. Some of the recipients will already be well-known in the poetry world, while others may be deserving of wider recognition for the distinction of their writing. Many of them will have contributed to the genre in a variety of ways, through their performances and tutoring, for example. The Cholmondeley Awards prove that excellence can be perceived across a wide range of poetry from a diversity of poets. It is hoped that the recipients will feel valued, encouraged and truly celebrated." Moniza Alvi

Eric Gregory Awards

The Eric Gregory Awards are presented for a collection of poems by a poet under 30. Judged by Raymond Antrobus, Caroline Bird, Eric Ngalle Charles, Wayne Holloway-Smith, Gwyneth Lewis and Joelle Taylor.   Total prize fund: £28,350 

The winners are Will Barnard, Maia Elsner, William Gee, Yanita Georgieva, Nathaniel King and Francis-Xavier Mukiibi.

Judge Gwyneth Lewis said: "Reading Eric Gregory submissions is always a mind-expanding experience and this year was no exception. The best manuscripts are utterly up-to-the-minute in their subject matter but, more importantly, in the texture of their poetic lines. Originality stands out a mile and becomes compelling when married with intellectual and emotional rigour. I left our final judges meeting feeling optimistic at seeing poetry breaking new ground and fully meeting the challenges of contemporary life."

Gordon Bowker Volcano Prize

The Gordon Bowker Volcano Prize is 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. Judged by Aamer Hussein, Yara Rodrigues Fowler and Kerry Young. Total prize fund: £2,750

Winner: Wild Geese by Soula Emmanuel

Judge Yara Rodrigues Fowler said: "Wild Geese starts when Phoebe, a trans Irish woman living in Denmark receives a surprise visit from her kooky ex. Every sentence is a joy. Emmanuel's prose is second to none – playful, erudite and completely unexpected. Wild Geese makes a powerful, moving case for the pursuit of newness in the world and in life. Not only does Emmanuel convincingly transport the reader to Copenhagen, she reveals to us the possibility at the heart of travel to a new place: that it might show us a different way of living."

Runner-Up: Wandering Souls by Cecile Pin

McKitterick Prize

Sponsored by the Hawthornden Foundation, the McKitterick Prize is awarded for a first novel by a writer over 40. Judged by Anietie Isong, Kelleigh Greenberg-Jephcott, Rebecca Foster, Gonzalo C. Garcia and Rónán Hession. Total prize fund: £10,000

Winner: The Funeral Cryer by Wenyan Lu

Judge Rónán Hession said: "Wenyan Lu has created an unforgettable debut, brimming with personality and written with a sense of consummate ease. The Funeral Cryer is such a funny, warm and original book. An absolute gem of a novel."

Runner-Up: Now I Am Here by Chidi Ebere

Paul Torday Memorial Prize

Sponsored by the Hawthornden Foundation, the Paul Torday Memorial Prize is awarded to a first novel by a writer over 60. The prize includes a set of the collected works of British writer Paul Torday, who published his first novel Salmon Fishing in the Yemen at the age of 60. It is indebted to Weidenfeld & Nicolson Fiction for generously providing these books. Judged by Trevor Wood, Gaby Koppel and Anni Domingo. Total prize fund: £4,000

Winner: Fire Rush by Jacqueline Crooks

A LoveReading Star Book, LoveReading Expert Joanne Owen commented: "From an underground dub club in 1970s London, to Jamaica’s revolutionary Cockpit Country, this remarkable, radiant novel sees a Black woman journey through loss to find the freedom of selfhood."

Runner-Up: Cuckoo in the Nest by Fran Hill

Queen’s Knickers Award

Sponsored by its founder Nicholas Allan, the Queen’s Knickers Award is an annual prize for an outstanding children’s original illustrated book for ages 0-7. It recognises books that strike a quirky, new note and grab the attention of a child, whether in the form of curiosity, amusement, horror or excitement. Judged by Salomey Doku, Chris Haughton and Cerrie Burnell. Total prize fund: £6,000

Winner: People Need People by Benjamin Zephaniah and Nila Aye

Judge Salomey Doku said: "People Need People stood out to us as a book that delivers a truly heartfelt message in a really digestible, friendly and succinct way. We all felt that Benjamin’s words were simple and effective, but also poignant and possessing of a permanent relevance. Paired with Nila’s superbly detailed and diverse illustrations, which encourage children to spend time with each scene and character. This is the kind of book that we could see both children and adults returning to again and again – a book that is uniquely, intentionally, beautifully global in its approach and personality."

Runner-Up: Teddy's Midnight Adventure by Yoko Mori

Somerset Maugham

The Somerset Maugham Awards are for published works of fiction, non-fiction or poetry by writers under 30, to enable them to enrich their work by gaining experience of foreign countries. Judged by Akeem Balogun, Bhanu Kapil and Ardashir Vakil. Total prize fund: £16,000. Five winners each awarded £3,200.

The winners are Iona Lee, Cecile Pin, Phoenicia Rogerson, Momtaza Mehri and Katherine Pangonis.

The judges said: "This year's Somerset Maugham Award shortlist was made up of young voices who used poetry, non-fiction, fiction, or other forms entirely, to explore history in unique fashions and to tell stories that document the present, reveal the author's psyche, delve deep into our emotions and take us down roads of imaginative brilliance. We encourage more presses and imprints to submit works next year, to expand the possibilities of this prize."

Travelling Scholarships

The Travelling Scholarships are awarded to British writers to enable engagement with writers abroad. Judged by Emily Barr, Gabriel Gbadamosi, Alvin Pang, Louise Jury and Philip Terry. Total prize fund: £34,800. Six writers each awarded £5,800

The winners are Hannah Lowe, Zoë Skoulding, Peter Kalu, Liz Hoggard, Katya Balen and James Byrne.

Huge congratulations to all of the winners.

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