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New Welsh Writing Awards: The Shortlists!


Delighted to reveal the shortlists for both categories in the New Welsh Writing Awards! Congratulations to all the shortlisted writers!

We are delighted to reveal both shortlists in the 10th edition of the New Welsh Writing Awards, championing new and unpublished writing from Wales and beyond with thanks to the generous support of philanthropic sponsors RS Powell and Bob Borzello, and prize sponsors Literature Wales and Gladstone’s Library.

Now in collaboration, with Parthian Books, this year’s awards include The Rheidol Prize for Prose with a Welsh Theme or Setting with previous winers including Jasmine Donahye, Susan Karen Burton and Eluned Gramich and new poetry writing competition The Borzello Trust Poetry Prize.

We’d like to congratulate all the shortlisted writers in this years awards!

The Rheidol Prize: for Prose with a Welsh Theme or Setting

2024 Shortlist

(In alphabetical order)

Sam Christie – The Widowmaker

Louise Denham – Hon Oedd Fy Ninas

Kevin Dyer– Elorgarreg

Sybilla Harvey – The Flattening

Natalie Ann Holborow – The Man Who Knew Things

Neil Stone – Trecco Beach Baby

Read more about the shortlisted writers.

The Borzello Trust Poetry Prize  2024 Shortlist

(In alphabetical order)

Emma Baines

Natasha Gauthier

Cerys Hughes

Lesley James

Sarah Persson

Rhian Thomas

Read more about the shortlisted poets.

Highly commended – Karen Goodwin, Kathryn Gonzales and Shelby Salerno.

Winners for both awards will be announced on the 3rd of July at Waterstones Abergavenny for a special evening celebrating the awards and the launch of the new edition of atmospheric novella The Plankton Collector by 2017 Rheidol Prize winner Cath Barton.

Judges: Gwen Davies and David Lloyd-Owen (Rheidol Prize: For Prose with a Welsh Theme or Setting)
Susie Wild and Niall Griffiths (The Borzello Trust Prize for Poetry)

Since 2015, the New Welsh Writing Awards have sought the best writing in short form (5,000 – 30,000 words) over a variety of categories. Previous winners include:

  • Tim Cooke for River, 2022
  • Jasmine Donahaye for Reading the Signs, 2021
  • Susan Karen Burton for The Transplantable Roots of Catharine Huws Nagashima, 2020
  • Peter Goulding for Slatehead:The Ascent of Britain’s Slate-climbing scene, 2019
  • JL George for The Word, 2019
  • Ed Garland for Earwitness: A Search for Sonic Understanding in Stories, 2018
  • Catherine Haines for My Oxford, 2017
  • Cath Barton for The Plankton Collector,  2017
  • Mandy Sutter for Bush Meat, 2016
  • Eluned Gramich for Woman Who Brings the Rain, 2015

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