PEN Literary Prizes
Each year English PEN awards a number of prizes designed to honour the highest standards of literary merit and moral integrity in writing.
This prize was established in 2009 by English PEN in memory of the Nobel-winning playwright Harold Pinter. The Prize is awarded annually to a British writer or a writer resident in Britain of outstanding literary merit who, in the words of Harold Pinter's Nobel speech, casts an 'unflinching, unswerving' gaze upon the world, and shows a 'fierce intellectual determination …to define the real truth of our lives and our societies'. The prize is shared with an International Writer of Courage, chosen by the winner of the main prize from a shortlist of writers of concern to PEN, for their determination and bravery in speaking truth to power, despite the very real risks they face.
This award is given annually to a literary autobiography of outstanding merit, written by an author of British nationality and published in the United Kingdom. It is the only such award for life writing. A long-list of eligible books is called in by the judges, who are the Trustees of the fund left by Nancy Ackerley to honour her brother, the novelist and critic JR Ackerley. The winner receives £2,000.
Golden PEN Award
This award is presented to the very greatest of writers - those whose work has given both pleasure to readers and inspiration to their fellow writers. The winner is elected by the Trustees of English PEN, who represent our membership of more than one thousand writers and literary professionals. The winner receives a special golden pen and a cheque for £1,000.
This prize was created in 2002 with a bequest to the PEN Literary Foundation of £100,000 from English PEN member Marjorie Hessell-Tiltman. Each year the prize goes to a historical work of high literary merit covering any historical period until the end of the second world war. The winner receives £3,000 and is announced annually.
In previous years we were also proud to award the following prizes:
David TK Wong Prize
This prize was awarded biennially by International PEN and aimed to reward excellence in short fiction. The prize was made possible by the extreme generosity of English PEN member David TK Wong.
The James Stern Silver Pen Award for Non-Fiction
This award was given to an outstanding work of non-fiction, written in English by an author of British nationality, and published in the United Kingdom.
The Macmillan Silver Pen Award for Short Stories
The award was given to an outstanding collection of short stories, written in English by an author of British nationality, and published in the UK in the preceeding year. The award was sponsored by Macmillan and ST Dupont.