Polari is the UK’s leading live showcase for emerging and established LGBTQ+ literary talent. Who won the 2023 prizes?
The Polari Prize is the UK’s only LGBTQ+ book prize. This year there are two prizes: for debut and non-debut books. The biannual Children’s / YA book prize returns next year. Founded in 2011, this year is the award’s eleventh year. Founded by author and activist Paul Burston, the awards celebrate LGBTQ+ books, fiction and non-fiction.
Founded by author and activist, Paul Burston, the Polari Prize is the UK and Ireland’s only dedicated LGBTQ+ book prize. The Polari First Book Prize was launched in 2011 and previous winners include Fiona Mozley, Saleem Haddad, Paul McVeigh, Kirsty Logan, Diriye Osman, John McCullough, Mari Hannah, James Maker, Angela Chadwick, Amrou Al-Kadhi, Mohsin Zaidi and Zmith. The Polari Prize, founded in 2019, was awarded to Andrew McMillan in its inaugural year, and to Kate Davies in 2020, Diana Souhami in 2021 and Joelle Taylor in 2022.
The 2023 Polari Book Prize
The winner is Our Wives Under The Sea by Julia Armfield.
A story of falling in love, loss, grief, and what life there is in the deep deep sea, Our Wives Under the Sea is the debut novel from Armfield.
This year’s Polari Prize shortlist reflects the complexities of contemporary LGBT+ lives in work that is nuanced, expansive, intimate and strange. History, futurism, crime, poetic memoir, and social commentary collide to create rich narratives that rewrite us even as we read.
Joelle Taylor, Polari Book Prize judge
First Book Prize
The winner is The Whale Tattoo by Jon Ransom.
Gritty, sexy realism, Jon Ransom’s book is truly wonderful. I was lucky enough to hear Jon speak at a writer’s event and I fell in love with his book soon after.
The titles on the shortlist for this year’s Polari First Book Prize wrestle with history and the present moment in engaging and empathetic ways. I loved reading these books, and feeling the queer power in them and their authors’ visions.
Adam Zmith, Polari First Book Prize judge
The awards night
The awards were held at the British Library on Friday, 24th November. It was a fun evening, celebrating the best of queer writing from the year.
Details of the 2024 book prize will be announced in March 2024.
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