Dylan Thomas Prize Promise $120,000 to Writer Under 30  

By Edward Nawotka -- Publishers Weekly, 2/29/2008 11:36:00 AM

Organizers of the EDS Dylan Thomas Prize are actively seeking submissions from North American writers for the £60,000 ($119,000) pound prize. Entries are being accepted until April 30. "We haven’t gotten as many entries from America as we’d like,” said prize board member Kurt Heinzelman, head of creative writing at the University of Texas, “We’d like to see many more, especially from poets.”

Awarded every two years, the Dylan Thomas Prize is intended to honor “the best published writer in English under the age of 30 from anywhere in the world.” It is open to any literary work – poetry, fiction, screenplays, film scripts -- published in English by a writer 18-30 years old.

While the prize has been around for some 25 years, it was re-launched in 2006 with new sponsorship and much deeper pockets. The winner in 2006 was Welch poet Rachel Trezise for her book Fresh Apples. This year’s winner will be announced on November 3 at a ceremony in Swansea, Wales. 

Entries will only be accepted from publishers. Full details about the award, as well as submission guidelines, are online at www.dylanthomasprize.com/