Literary award · United Kingdom · since 1919
James Tait Black Memorial Prize
British literary prizes awarded for English language literature in the categories fiction (1919–), biography (1919–), and drama (2013–2019). Established 1919 in United Kingdom.
About James Tait Black Memorial Prize
The James Tait Black Memorial Prizes are literary prizes awarded for literature written in the English language. They, along with the Hawthornden Prize, are Britain's oldest literary awards. Based at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, United Kingdom, the prizes were founded in 1919 by Janet Coats Black in memory of her late husband, James Tait Black, a partner in the publishing house of A & C Black Ltd. Prizes are awarded in two categories: Fiction and Biography. A Drama prize was awarded from 2013-2019.
From the Wikipedia article “James Tait Black Memorial Prize”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Recent winners
| Year | Winner | Winning work |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Lamia Ziadé | My Great Arab Melancholy |
| 2019 | Olivia Laing | — |
| 2019 | Clare Barron | — |
| 2017 | Eley Williams | — |
| 2017 | Eimear McBride | — |
| 2013 | Harvest | — |
| 2011 | Fiona MacCarthy | — |
| 2011 | Padgett Powell | — |
| 2010 | Hilary Spurling | — |
| 2010 | Tatjana Soli | — |
| 2010 | A. S. Byatt | — |
| 2009 | John Carey | — |
| 2008 | Sebastian Barry | — |
| 2008 | Michael Holroyd | — |
| 2007 | Rosalind Belben | — |
From Wikidata; the list may be incomplete for some years.
Eligibility and entering
Check the official rules of the James Tait Black Memorial 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.
Sources & data
- Structured data from Wikidata Q392586 (CC0).
- Summary text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).