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.
Applying
The RSL Christopher Bland Prize is open to full-length works of fiction or non-fiction, published in the current calendar year. Only publishers or agents based in the UK or Republic or Ireland may enter works, which must be by writers who are citizens of the UK or Republic of Ireland and aged 50 or over at the time of publication. Please read the full eligibility and guidelines prior to submitting any entries.
The closing date for entries is Friday 1 December 2023 at 5pm (BST).
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
| 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 |
Become a Member
Our Members are champions of literature. Their support makes our engagement work in schools and prisons possible and they enable us to celebrate literature in all its wonderful diversity. As a thank you, we give them all the joys of a literary festival and book club rolled into one, all year round.