The Encore Award
An annual award of £15,000 for the best second novel.
History
The Encore Award was first presented in 1990 to celebrate the achievement of outstanding second novels. The Award fills a niche in the catalogue of literary prizes. The RSL administrated the award from 2016 to 2025. The Society of Authors is now administering the Award. For further details, please go to their website here.
Past Winners
| 2025 | Manya Wilkinson | Lublin |
| 2024 | Isabella Hammad | Enter Ghost |
| 2023 | Daisy Hildyard | Emergency |
| 2022 | Francis Spufford | Light Perpetual |
| 2021 | Caoilinn Hughes | The Wild Laughter |
| 2020 | Patrick McGuinness | Throw Me to the Wolves |
| 2019 | Sally Rooney | Normal People |
| 2018* | Andrew Michael Hurley | Devil’s Day |
| Lisa McInerney | The Blood Miracles | |
| 2017 | Ian McGuire | The North Water |
| 2015 | Sunjeev Sahota | The Year of the Runaways |
| 2014 | Neel Mukherjee | The Lives of Others |
| 2013 | Evie Wyld | All the Birds, Singing |
| 2012 | Ned Beauman | The Teleportation Accident |
| 2011 | Joe Dunthorne | Wild Abandon |
| 2010 | Adam Foulds | The Quickening Maze |
| 2009 | Julia Leigh | Disquiet |
| 2007 | M.J. Hyland | Carry Me Down |
| 2005 | Nadeem Aslam | Maps for Lost Lovers |
| 2004 | Michelle de Kretser | The Hamilton Case |
| 2003 | Jeremy Gavron | The Book of Israel |
| 2002 | Ali Smith | Hotel World |
| 2001 | Anne Enright | What Are You Like? |
| 2000* | John Burnside | The Mercy Boys |
| Claire Messud | The Last Life | |
| Matt Thorne | Eight Minutes Idle | |
| 1999 | Phil Whitaker | Triangulation |
| 1998* | Christina Koning | Undiscovered Country |
| Alan Warner | These Demented Lands | |
| 1997 | Timothy O’Grady | I Could Read the Sky |
| 1996 | David Flusfeder | Like Plastic |
| 1995 | A.L. Kennedy | So I Am Glad |
| 1994 | Dermot Healy | A Goat’s Song |
| 1993 | Amit Chaudhuri | Afternoon Raag |
| 1992 | Colm Tóibín | The Heather Blazing |
| 1991 | Iain Sinclair | Downriver |
| 1990* | Carey Harrison | Richard’s Feet |
| Paul Watkins | Calm at Sunset, Calm at Dawn | |
| Peter Benson | A Lesser Dependency |
* Indicates that the Prize was split between multiple authors in this year.
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