Recognising outstanding writing and brave writers
Each year, we present awards to outstanding writers – the PEN Pinter Prize, the PEN Heaney Prize and the PEN Hessell-Tiltman Prize. Funded by and in honour of former English PEN members and significant literary figures, these prizes recognise excellence in nonfiction, poetry, and a courageous and unflinching approach to the written word.
PEN Pinter Prize
The PEN Pinter Prize acknowledges writers who, in the words of Harold Pinter, show a ‘fierce intellectual determination … to define the real truth of our lives and our societies’.
PEN Heaney Prize
The PEN Heaney Prize recognises outstanding poetry with a focus on social engagement.
PEN Hessell-Tiltman Prize
The PEN Hessell-Tiltman prize celebrates the best non-fiction on any historical subject or period.
