Find out about the key milestones in The Orwell Prizes schedule
The Orwell Prizes are awarded annually to work first published in the previous calendar year. There are four key milestones:
- The launch and opening of submissions – usually in mid November
- The closing of submissions – varies across books and journalism
- The finalists announcement – usually in mid May
- The announcement of the winners – on or around 25 June (George Orwell’s birthday)
1) Opening of submissions
New judging panels are announced each year. You can read about this year’s panels here.
Entry to the Orwell Prizes will open in November prior to the year in which the prizes are awarded, e.g. entry to The Orwell Prize 2025 will open on 13 November 2025.
Rules and full eligibility criteria for all prizes are available here. Please check the eligibility criteria for the prize you are applying for, as key details may vary.
2) Closing of submissions
Entry to our book prizes will close on 31 January 2025. Entry to the prizes for Journalism and Reporting Homelessness will close on 31 March 2025.
Final copies of books for submission for The Orwell Prize for Political Writing and The Orwell Prize for Political Fiction should arrive at The Orwell Foundation no later than 28 February 2025.
3) Finalists announcement
In 2022, The Orwell Prizes moved from a longlist/shortlist format to a single set of eight to ten finalists in each category.
Finalists for all The Orwell Prizes will be announced on 14 May 2025.
4) Winners announcement
The winners of The Orwell Prizes will be announced at the prize ceremony in central London, on or around George Orwell’s birthday (25 June).