Thursday, July 10, 2008

University Of Warwick Launches £50,000 Writing Prize

I love the sound of this:

University Of Warwick Launches £50,000 Writing Prize

Thursday 10 Jul 2008

'I would not give a fig for the simplicity this side of complexity, but I would give my life for the simplicity on the other side of complexity'(Physician and poet Oliver Wendell Holmes)How does writing evolve? Where is its moving edge? Is all writing – at its very best – a type of creative writing?

To explore these questions – and to identify excellence and innovation in new writing – The University of Warwick is today launching the £50, 000 Warwick Prize for Writing.This substantial prize stands out as an international and cross-disciplinary award. It will be given biennially for an excellent and substantial piece of writing in the English language, in any genre or form. The theme will change with every prize: the 2009 theme is Complexity.All members of the University of Warwick Staff - from nursery staff and gardeners to professors and porters - are invited to make a nomination for a prize entry by August. Warwick's honorary professors and honorary graduates will also be asked to make nominations.

China Miéville, award- winning writer of what he describes as 'weird fiction', will chair the panel of five judges. Other judges include mathematician Professor Ian Stewart and literary blogger Stephen Mitchelmore. A longlist of 15 to 20 titles will be announced in October 2008 followed by a shortlist of six titles in January 2009. The winner will be announced in February 2009 in Warwick.The winning submission will represent an intellectual, scientific and/or imaginative advance and be written with an energy and clarity that make it accessible and attractive to a wide audience.

.... This new prize is part of the University's Vision 2015 plan to enhance the University's already significant international links and position it as an intellectual gateway to the UK and beyond. ..

In addition to the £50,000 monetary prize, the winning author will be awarded the opportunity to take up a short placement at the University.To find out more click here.


I don't know exactly what this means but I look forward to finding out. You can't "self-nominate", so I just have to sit and wait!
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2 comments:

Kerry said...

Crikey that is lot of money...and some very baffling flannel too!

I wanted to pop over and just send my thoughts regarding the dreadful happenings of last week. I've been away from t'blogs for a while so just wanted to say I hope you are feeling slightly recovered and that I'm glad that your writing group was able to offer some solace. I hope it won't stop up the writing for too long.

Sarah Hilary said...

Er, yes. Maybe the prize money is so high because you need a brain the size of a small house to figure out the rules?