Since launching in 2018 the London Writers Awards has supported 120 writers to develop their debut projects and achieve their goals to be published authors. Set up to support writers underrepresented in publishing, the Awards has been one of the most successful writer development programmes of its kind with 43 publications from 26 writers and 42 awardees securing representation so far. Generously funded by Arts Council England and Esmée Fairbairn Foundation with sponsorship from ALCS, the project completed its current funding cycle in 2022.
In 2023 Spread the Word will be publishing a new report on writer development in the UK in collaboration with evaluator Neela Doležalová, who has conducted extensive research with the alumni of the London Writers Awards, literary agents and the Spread the Word team. While we explore the recommendations of the report and continue our fundraising to continue to run the London Writers Awards, we will be pausing recruitment for a new cohort of London Writers Awards this year. In the interim we will be expanding our successful Developing Tutors programme, where London Writers Awards writers lead writing workshops and courses to gain experience in writing workshop facilitation, creating new opportunities for unpublished writers to receive mentoring and manuscript feedback from alumni of the London Writers Awards. We will be opening applications for the mentoring and manuscript feedback alongside the publication of the report later this year.
We would like to thank the authors, publishers, literary agencies and funders who have championed this programme so far. If you have any queries or would like to support the continued development of the London Writers Awards, please contact [email protected].
Published 9 February 2023