Betty Trask left a bequest to the Society of Authors in 1983 to fund prizes for first novels written by authors under the age of 35 in a traditional or romantic style.

Each year a single prize winner receives £10,000 and the remaining fund is split between a number of award winners. 

The 2022 Shortlist:

The Betty Trask Prize winner will be announced on 1 June at the SoA Awards.

Tickets available here

Entry to the 2023 Betty Trask Prize and Awards will open in August

• Deadline for entries: 30 November 2022
• The author must be under the age of 35 on the 31 December 2021.
• The author must be resident in Great Britain and Northern Ireland or the Commonwealth for three years prior to the date of submission for the award, or a British national, and writing in English.
• The author must not have had any novel published (other than the one submitted).
• The work submitted must be in the English language and the work of one author (not a translation).
• The work submitted must be a novel of a romantic or traditional nature (i.e. not experimental).
• If published or self-published, the work must have been published between 1 January 2021 and 30 November 2021.
• If unpublished, the work must not have been previously submitted for the Betty Trask Prize and Awards.

Charity number 289519