Stroud Book Festival is delighted to announce that The Laurie Lee Prize for Writing 2025 is now open for entries, writes Caroline Sanderson.
Free to enter, the Laurie Lee Prize for Writing was created in 2022 to acknowledge and honour the work of Stroud’s most famous son, Laurie Lee (1914-1997). It was established under the umbrella of Stroud Book Festival with the blessing of Laurie Lee’s family, and his literary estate. The 2024 winners were Laura Kinnear and Estella Jones.
The Prize is open to unpublished writers currently resident in Gloucestershire, and to those who were born in the county. The criteria also now permit entries from anyone studying at school or university or working in Gloucestershire.
The theme for this year’s prize is JOURNEYS, and submitted writing on that theme can be fiction, non-fiction or poetry.
Two prizes will be awarded. The first to a writer aged 21 or over who will receive prize money of £1000. The second will go to a writer aged between 16-20 years (1st place: £500, 2nd place: £300, 3rd place: £200).
The closing dates for entries for both awards is Wednesday 31st July, with the shortlists for each prize announced in September. The 2025 winners will be announced at a celebratory Laurie Lee Prize event at Stroud Book Festival (5-9 November).
The 2025 judges are Katie Fforde (chair), Jessy Lee (Laurie Lee’s daughter), Norah Perkins (Laurie Lee’s literary agent), and Gloucestershire writers, Jamila Gavin, Adam Horovitz, Jane Bailey, and this year’s guest judge, Ronnie McGrath.
Please visit the Stroud Book Festival website for full details of eligibility criteria and how to enter: www.stroudbookfestival.org.uk/about-the-laurie-lee-prize
