RSL Christopher Bland Prize
An annual award of £10,000 for a debut novelist or non-fiction writer first published in any form aged 50 or over.
About the Prize
The RSL Christopher Bland Prize is an annual award of £10,000 to a debut novelist or non-fiction writer first published at the age of 50 or over.
How to Apply
Books may be entered only by trade publishers or agents based in the UK or Republic of Ireland. Each publisher, or imprint of a publisher, may enter two books and up to three call-in titles. Please fill out a separate form for each of your main entries. Authors may not enter themselves.
The closing date for submissions is Friday 6 November 2026 at 5pm.
Potential applicants should review the eligibility criteria. Applications must be made through the online form below. To help with planning and accessibility, the application questions are available for viewing before you fill out the online form.
History
The Prize was launched in 2018 and first awarded in 2019, thanks to the generosity of the family and friends of Lady Jennie Bland, in memory of Sir Christopher Bland who died in 2017. Sir Christopher is best known for his leadership in broadcasting, the arts and business. He didn’t start writing until after his retirement publishing two novels to critical acclaim: Ashes in the Wind and Cathar. His play The Easter Rising and Thereafter was staged by the Jermyn Street Theatre in 2016 – 100 years to the day after the uprising in Dublin.
Past Winners
| 2026 | Frank Thabani Sayi | No Safer Kinder Hatred |
| 2025 | Kathryn Faulke | Every Kind of People |
| 2024 | Chidi Ebere | Now I Am Here |
| 2023 | Paterson Joseph | The Secret Diaries of Charles Ignatius Sancho |
| 2022 | Julia Parry | The Shadowy Third |
| 2021 | Pete Paphides | Broken Greek |
| 2020 | Michele Kirsch | Clean |
| 2019 | Raynor Winn | The Salt Path |
More from Awards and Prizes
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