The suspension of the UK's second oldest literary award due to lack of funding has been met with dismay by authors from William Boyd to Margaret Drabble, who said the John Llewellyn Rhys prize had helped them to their literary achievements.
The award was founded in 1942 by the young wife of the author and RAF pilot John Llewellyn Rhys, who was killed in action during the second world war. Worth £5,000, it goes to the best work of literature – encompassing fiction, non-fiction, poetry and drama – by a writer under 35, and has a reputation for ferreting out big names of the future, from Boyd, who won in 1982, to Jeanette Winterson, who won in 1987, and Drabble, who won in 1966. VS Naipaul, Angela Carter and Melvyn Bragg have also won the prize.
On Tuesday its administrator Booktrust, which earlier this year was at the centre of controversy after it revealed that the government was to cut a £13m annual grant for free books for children , said that the prize was being suspended this year after a "particularly challenging" few months.
"Our new funding settlement with the Department for Education has allowed us to protect the universal offer of our national book-gifting programmes, but it has nonetheless forced us to undertake a thorough review of all of the projects in the Booktrust portfolio," said the book charity in a statement. "As a result of this review, we have taken the difficult decision not to run the John Llewellyn Rhys prize in autumn 2011 ... The prize was initiated in 1946 and Booktrust has funded it since 2002, so we have not taken this decision lightly."
The news was greeted with dismay by former winners of the prize. Drabble, writing for the Guardian, said that "its disappearance would be a great loss to hopeful authors and the literary world", while Kennedy, who won the Costa book of the year award for her novel Day, said that her 1991 win of the John Llewellyn Rhys had played a big part in her future career.
"Without the JLR, I would not have been introduced to the London scene, I probably wouldn't be working with my current editor – I first met him at the award ceremony and we discussed my second book – and I might not be published, even now," said Kennedy, who won the prize 20 years ago for Night Geometry and the Garscadden Trains. "The JLR was particularly key because it recognises short stories as well as novels – I, in fact, won the prize with a collection of short stories. Small prizes with sensible press profiles play a huge part in supporting literary fiction - and it needs all the support it can get."
Evie Wyld, who took the 2009 award for her debut novel After the Fire, a Still Small Voice, agreed, saying that the win "brought attention to my book and to me as an author in a way not many other prizes have". "It gave me a platform to work off, and I'm not sure I'd be in the position I am in now, had the JLR not brought such a large amount of attention with it," said the author. "It sparked articles and radio appearances, and it's still one of the things I'm most proud about being a part of. It's very sad that this prize is being suspended owing to funding problems, as it carries such a feeling of good will with it."
Boyd, whose novels have won the Costa, James Tait Black and Whitbread awards, called the news of the prize's suspension "a great shame". "When I won the prize – back in 1981 – I think it was for writers under 29 so it was always regarded as a prize for younger writers, ones just starting out, which made it special, I think. I know the age barrier has been raised but the prize always seemed to me to be an indication of promise and that made it different and valued, especially by writers," he said. "As for the cuts – well, it can't cost very much to administer, can it? The suspension of the prize is a symbol of what random across-the-board cuts do – particularly in the world of culture. Something that only promotes and does good has to go."
Booktrust spokesperson Will White said the charity was "trying desperately" to raise the money it needs to keep the prize running, which is "vastly more" than the £5,000 awarded to the winner. "We are trying to get new sponsors on board and are in conversations with publishers," he said. "There's been no money from the [Llewellyn Rhys] estate since 2002 ... We would love it if anyone felt they could support it. We have the expertise and the experience, and a firm passion for it coming back." The prize was sponsored by the Mail on Sunday from 1987 until 2003, when Hari Kunzru rejected his award for the paper's "hostility towards black and Asian British people", donating his winnings to the Refugee Council instead. Since then, it has been funded by Booktrust.
The Carhullan Army author Sarah Hall, who won in 2006 and judged the prize in 2008, said the John Llewellyn Rhys focused "absolutely on prose quality and the realisation of a particular literary concept".
"I like the fact that there seems to have been little compromise made about this over the years, but then again perhaps the lack of ritz and razzle has meant this prize has fallen victim to funding cuts while other better known (and presumably better funded) prizes haven't," she said. "The prize money isn't vast compared to the Impac, Man Booker and Orange etc, but it is a very handsome award, and a definite boon. The media attention and coverage is usually lesser, unless a big name writer ends up winning, which may also be a factor in its suspension. Whatever the reason it's a terrible shame."
Booktrust said that it "strongly" intended to bring the award "back with a bang as soon as possible" – hopefully by next year. The charity has also been forced to suspend its £2,500 Teenage prize and its three Early Years awards, worth £6,000 in total, due to lack of funding, and is currently "exploring possibilities with new sponsors" for these awards as well.