The Paul Torday Memorial Prize 2022 is now open for entries

Paul Torday published his first novel Salmon Fishing in the Yemen aged 60. The family have decided to set up this new prize in Torday’s honour, celebrating first novels by authors aged 60 or over.

The winner will receive £1,000, with a set of Paul Torday’s collected works. Runners-up will receive one specially selected Paul Torday novel with a commemorative book plate.

The 2022 Prize is now open for submissions.

  • Deadline for entries: Monday 30 November 2021
  • The novel must have been first published in the UK and Republic of Ireland between 1 September 2020 and 31 August 2021.
  • The novel must be a full length work by a living author. 
  • The book must be in the English language and cannot be a translated work. 
  • The novel must be the author’s first published full length fiction work, but they can have had works published of other lengths or other genres in the past.
  • The author(s) must be aged 60 or over at the date of first print publication of the novel and living at the date of submission. In the event that the author is shortlisted, they will be asked to provide proof of age. 
  • There are no residence or nationality restrictions.
  • We cannot accept books that are only available in e-format or that are self-published or where the author has contributed or paid for the costs of publishing.
  • Submissions must be made by the print publisher. 

2021 Paul Torday Prize Winner
Kathy O’Shaughnessy for 
In Love with George Eliot (Scribe UK)
 

Torday-Winner-Banner-2021-Kathy.jpg

2021 Shortlist

  • Runner up: Karen Raney for All the Water in the World (John Murray, Two Roads)
  • Judith Amanthis for Dirt Clean (Victorina Press)
  • Elfan Jones for Let Sleeping Dogs Lie (Unbound)
  • Trevor Wood for The Man on the Street (Quercus)