The Kim Scott Walwyn Prize 2017 is now open for submissions.
The Prize, which recognises the professional achievements and promise of women in publishing, is open to any woman who has worked in publishing in the UK for up to seven years.
There are two ways to enter the Prize: nomination or self-submission. The deadline for
nominations is 5PM (GMT) Friday 27th January, and the deadline for self-submission is 5PM
(GMT) Friday 10th February. Both entry forms can be found at https://kimscottwalwyn.org.
Applicants who were eligible in the Prize’s fallow year of 2016 will remain eligible for 2017.
Full terms and conditions are available here.
Founded in 2003, the Prize honours the life and career of Kim Scott Walwyn, who was
Publishing Director at Oxford University Press and who died in 2002 at the age of 45. The Prize
is run in partnership with the Society of Young Publishers (SYP) and the Publishing Training
Centre (PTC). The winner of the Prize receives £1000, sponsored by the SYP, and a two-day
training course of their choice at the PTC. Shortlisted candidates also receive a one-day
training course courtesy of the PTC.
Catherine Clarke, Co-Chair of the Prize Committee, and Agent at Felicity Bryan Associates, said:
“We are delighted to be relaunching the Kim Scott Walwyn Prize this year, with the generous
support of the Publishing Training Centre and the Society of Young Publishers. In an industry
that has seen a recent rolling back of women in the top echelons, the Prize continues to shine a
light on the considerable talents and achievements of women in publishing.”
The Prize has now been awarded ten times, with the 2015 Prize going to Rebecca Lewis-Oakes,
then Editor at Puffin, now Managing Editor for Fiction at Egmont. The Prize has a proven track
record in picking out emerging talent from across the industry. The winner of the 2014 Prize
was Anne Perry, founder of The Kitschies and now Commissioning Editor at Hodder &
Stoughton. The winner of the 2013 Prize was Miriam Robinson, now programme director
for The Bookseller’s Marketing & Publicity Conference and Associate Director at The Literary
Platform, formerly of Foyles.
The judging panel will be jointly chaired by Catherine Clarke, Agent at Felicity Bryan
Associates, and Denise Johnstone-Burt, Publisher at Walker Books. They will be joined by
Professor Dame Hermione Lee CBE (biographer and President of Wolfson College Oxford),
representatives of the Society of Young Publishers and the Publishing Training centre, and a
former winner.
The shortlist announcement will be on Tuesday 14th March 2017 during London Book Fair, to
tie with the seminar ‘A Career in Publishing: How to Achieve Success’ at 4PM on Tuesday 14th
March 2017, featuring Catherine Clarke and Denise Johnstone-Burt in conversation with a
selection of former winners of the Prize. The winner announcement will be on Wednesday 10th
May 2017 at a prize ceremony on the roof terrace at Carmelite House.