Wednesday 13 November 2024
Judging panels have been announced for the Orwell Prizes, the UK’s most prestigious prizes for political writing and reporting. The Orwell Prizes are now open for entries across four categories, including two book prizes (Political Writing and Political Fiction), Journalism and The Orwell Prize for Reporting Homelessness, which returns for a third year.
The Orwell Prize for Political Writing will be chaired by Kim Darroch, former UK ambassador to the USA during Trump’s first presidency, while the Political Fiction Prize will be chaired by the award-winning novelist and playwright Jim Crace. Dr Matt Walsh, head of Cardiff University’s school of Journalism, Media and Culture chairs this year’s Journalism Prize, while The Orwell Prize for Reporting Homelessness will be chaired by Dr Lígia Teixeira, founding Chief Executive of the Centre for Homelessness Impact.
Alongside Darroch, The Orwell Prize for Political Writing will be judged by the sociologist and political scientist Colin Crouch; Thangam Debbonaire, ex-Labour MP and Shadow Secretary of State for Culture Media and Sport; the historian and journalist Katja Hoyer; and broadcast editor at the Spectator, Cindy Yu. Kim Darroch said:
The world is in the most fragile and dangerous state it has been for a generation: war in Europe, conflict in the Middle East, tension with China, populism on the rise in Western democracies. In this environment, great political writing has never been more essential: for its analysis, its insights and for the emotions it can stir. So it is a particular privilege to be part of the panel judging this year’s Orwell Prize.”
Joining Jim Crace to judge the Fiction Prize will be Laura Battle, senior editor at FT Weekend; author and professor of English Literature at University College London, Matthew Beaumont; and the author, journalist and critic, Anita Sethi. Jim Crace said:
I’m excited and intrigued to be judging this year’s Orwell Prize. I’ll be hoping for an award-winning novel which is more than a leaflet or a banner but less than a diatribe, a work that provides the kind of creative clarity and complexity that great fiction excels in and which leaves the reader both shaken and – most importantly – stirred.”
Dr Lígia Teixeira is joined on this year’s Reporting Homelessness Prize panel by Robert Booth, Technology editor at The Guardian; filmmaker Lorna Tucker; and Caroline Wheeler, Political Editor of The Sunday Times. Dr Teixeira said:
“Far too often, the media thrives on negative stories. This approach can create a sense of fatalism about problems like homelessness. To counter this, we need more stories which, while not shying away from the problems, also point to solutions and showcase the good work happening up and down the country. Additionally, we want to encourage more journalists to become better at assessing and interrogating the quality of their sources, particularly when reporting on data.”
Alongside Dr Matt Walsh, The Orwell Prize for Journalism will be judged by Assistant Editor of the Spectator Isabel Hardman; Chief Presenter at BBC News Maryam Moshiri; Times Radio Presenter John Pienaar; and founder of The Guardian Long Read Jonathan Shainin.
Dr Matt Walsh said:
Press freedom remains a vital bulwark against totalitarianism but journalists are under pressure as never before. Many have been killed for bearing witness in warzones, such as Gaza, and face repression from populist and authoritarian politicians around the world. The Orwell Prize exists to honour and celebrate the year’s best journalism, to hear untold stories, and to shine a light on abuses of power. As Orwell wrote: “If liberty means anything at all it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear” – and that’s never been more true than today.
Judges for The Orwell Youth Prize were also announced today, with poet Anthony Anaxagorou FRSL; award-winning journalist Manveen Rana; and Teaching English editor Gary Snapper joining the panel. The Youth Prize is open to everyone at secondary school or college in the UK. Uniquely, our volunteer readers offer free, individual feedback to every entrant.
Named in honour of the author and journalist George Orwell, each Orwell Prize is worth £3,000 to the winner. Highly sought after, the prizes are anchored Orwell’s values and in the qualities found in his own work: clarity, courage, critical thinking and imagination.
More information about all The Orwell Prizes, including individual eligibility criteria and entry forms are available on our website. A list of finalists for all the prizes will be announced in May 2025, with the winners announced on June 25th at Conway Hall, London.
For closing dates, please see our key milestones.
Notes to editors
- George Orwell (Eric Blair, 1903-1950) believed in the moral power of language and understood the dangers of its corruption. The Orwell Foundation is a registered charity which uses Orwell’s work to promote honest writing and reporting, to uncover unheard voices, and to confront uncomfortable truths.
- Richard Blair is the founding patron of The Orwell Foundation. Richard is George Orwell’s only son and was adopted by Orwell and his first wife, Eileen, in June 1944. Richard is a member of the Council of The Orwell Foundation and a Patron of The Orwell Society, an independent membership organisation. In 2013, Richard was presented with an Honorary Fellowship from UCL in recognition of his “very considerable contribution to promoting academic work and public engagement with the work and legacy of George Orwell”.
- The Foundation’s patrons, partners and sponsors include Richard Blair, The Political Quarterly, Argus Media, the Centre for Homelessness Impact and University College London, which is home to both the Foundation and the UNESCO registered George Orwell Archive.
- The Orwell Prizes were founded in 1994. Recent winners have included Hisham Matar, Matthew Longo, Wendell Steavenson, Peter Apps, Sally Hayden, Claire Keegan, Ali Smith and Unheard Voices, a collective of community reporters in Greater Manchester.
- For the 2025 cycle, The Orwell Prize will be working with Collective Wisdom, a recently launched marketing and PR agency founded by Truda Spruyt. The team has extensive experience in developing the reach and prestige of literary prizes, having worked on the Booker Prize, the Baillie Gifford Prize and the Women’s Prize.
