Hessell-Tiltman Prize

The PEN Hessell-Tiltman Prize was awarded to the best work of non-fiction of historical content covering a period up to and including World War II, and published in the year of the award. The books are to be of high literary merit, but not primarily academic. The prize is organized by the English PEN. Marjorie Hessell-Tiltman was a member of PEN during the 1960s and 1970s; on her death in 1999 she bequeathed £100,000 to the PEN Literary Foundation to found a prize in her name. Each year's winner receives £2,000. The prize concluded in 2026 with a special "Winner of Winners" award. The award was one of many PEN awards sponsored by PEN International affiliates in over 145 PEN centres around the world.

From the Wikipedia article “PEN Hessell-Tiltman Prize”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Check the official rules of the Hessell-Tiltman Prize for the current eligibility window, accepted formats, residency or language requirements and any entry fee. For most established prizes the publisher submits on the author's behalf, often with a limit on entries per imprint.

If you are self-published, look for an explicit statement that independently published books are accepted, and budget for entry fees and copies for judges.