The British have a prize-giving culture, and British literary life is strongly flavored by the prizes which have become so important. Since about 1980, there have been a number of new prizes and the older ones have rapidly increased the monetary value of the award.
I have compiled information on the most important literary prizes. This list is not exhaustive. It slightly favors prizes for fiction--there are many more prizes for poetry than are included here--and I've included none that are exclusively for science fiction, mystery, or other genres.
Anyone interested in this subject should read Richard Todd's Consuming Fictions: The Booker Prize and Fiction in Britain Today (London: Bloomsbury, 1996). Another invaluable book is the Book Trust Guide to Literary Prizes, published annually by the Book Trust (Book Trust, Book House, 45 East Hill, London SW18 2QZ).
Information on the prizes was provided by the organizers in almost every case. If I have introduced any mistakes, or if you have additional information you wish to offer, please communicate with me.
This page constructed and maintained by Merritt Moseley. I keep it updated as my schedule allows. I'm happy to receive emails with corrections or emendations.