David Cohen Prize Explained

The David Cohen Prize for Literature (est. 1993) is a British literary award given to a writer, novelist, short-story writer, poet, essayist or dramatist in recognition of an entire body of work, written in the English language.^[1] The prize is funded by the John S. Cohen Foundation and administered by Arts Council England.^[2] The writer must be a British or Irish citizen. The winner is chosen by nomination and entries are not required. The prize is valued at £40,000.

In 2005, the David Cohen Prize incorporated the Clarissa Luard Award. The winner of the David Cohen Prize chooses the recipient of the Clarissa Luard Award, valued at £12,500^[2] (funded by the Arts Council of England), and given to a writer under the age of 35 or an organisation that supports young writers.^{[2] [3]} In 2017, Arts Council England launched the Clarissa Luard Award for Independent Publishing, managed by New Writing North, to recognise and celebrate the "adventurousness, innovative spirit and creativity" of independent literary publishing in the UK and Ireland.^{[4] [5]}

List of recipients

• 1993: V. S. Naipaul
• 1995: Harold Pinter
• 1997: Muriel Spark
• 1999: William Trevor
• 2001: Doris Lessing
• 2003: Beryl Bainbridge and Thom Gunn (joint winners)
• 2005: Michael Holroyd
• 2007: Derek Mahon
• 2009: Seamus Heaney
• 2011: Julian Barnes
• 2013: Hilary Mantel^[6]
• 2015: Tony Harrison^[7]
• 2017: Tom Stoppard^[8]
• 2019: Edna O'Brien^[9]
• 2021: Colm Tóibín^[10]
• 2023: John Burnside^[11]

External links

• The David Cohen Prize for Literature, Arts Council of England, official website

Notes and References

1. Web site: David Cohen Prize . 2013-03-07 . BookTrust.
2. News: The David Cohen Prize for Literature . 2009-05-09 . Arts Council England . 2013-03-07 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160304101358/http://www.artscouncil.org.uk/funding/funded-projects/case-studies/the-david-cohen-prize-for-literature/ . 2016-03-04 . dead.
3. News: David Cohen Prize for Literature 2011 winner nominates The Reading Agency for Arts Council award . 2011-03-18 . Arts Council England . 2013-03-07 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130311201700/http://www.artscouncil.org.uk/news/arts-council-news/david-cohen-prize-literature-2011-winner-nominates/ . 2013-03-11 . dead.
4. Onwuemezi, Natasha. "New £10,000 award for indie publishers launches", The Bookseller, 11 May 2017.
5. http://newwritingnorth.com/projects/clarissa-luard-award-independent-publishers/ "Clarissa Luard Award for Independent Publishers"
6. News: Hilary Mantel adds David Cohen award to Booker and Costa prizes. The Guardian. Alison. Flood. 7 March 2013. 8 March 2013.
7. News: Tony Harrison: still open for business. The Guardian. Stephen. Moss. 26 February 2015. 28 February 2015.
8. News: Tom Stoppard is 'bashful' winner of lifetime achievement award. The Guardian. Alison. Flood. 8 November 2017. 8 November 2017.
9. News: Edna O'Brien wins the 'UK and Ireland Nobel award' for lifetime achievement: Country Girls author receives £40,000 David Cohen prize which is seen as Nobel precursor. The Irish Times. Dublin. Martin. Doyle. 26 November 2019. 26 November 2019.
10. News: Colm Tóibín wins David Cohen Prize for Literature 2021: Previous winners of £40,000 award for a lifetime's work have gone on to win Nobel. The Irish Times. Dublin. Martin. Doyle. 13 December 2021.
11. News: Creamer . Ella . 2023-11-09 . John Burnside wins the 2023 David Cohen prize for amazing body of work . en-GB . The Guardian . 2023-11-10 . 0261-3077.