Other Literary Competitions

R O L A N D   M A T H I A S   P R I Z E

The Roland Mathias Prize is a recently established literary prize for Welsh writing in English which is awarded every two years.

The prize of £2,000 is for a work by a single author in the following categories:
• a collection of poetry
• a collection of short stories
• a work of literary criticism about Welsh literature
• a work of history, substantively about Wales, including biography.

The categories reflect the work and life of Roland Mathias,
who played a major role in establishing Welsh writing in English as a distinctive literary genre. The Prize is established under the auspices of the Brecknock Society and Museum Friends.

To qualify for entry for the award, the book must be a published work in the English language written by a Welsh–born author or an author currently resident in Wales. The first £2,000 prize was won by Christine Evans for her Selected Poems (Seren).

The prize will next be awarded on April 27, 2007 at a ceremony in Brecon Guildhall. The closing date for the submission of works published in 2005 and 2006 was December 22nd, 2006.

The panel of judges includes poet and critic Sam Adams, novelist and poet Chris Meredith, literary historian Moira Dearnley, Professor Jane Aaron and former TV journalist Glyn Mathias.

Subsequently, the prize will be awarded in Spring 2009 for a work published during 2007 and 2008, and successively every two years. To confirm eligibility, a catalogue or information sheet may be sent in the first instance, and four copies of the book are requested for consideration by the panel of judges.

All written correspondence and submitted books should be sent to:

  Brecknock Society and Museum Friends,
  The Roland Mathias Prize,
  c/o Brecknock Museum & Gallery,
  Captain’s Walk,
   Brecon LD3 7OW.

If publishers or authors have any queries about the  Roland Mathias Prize, please contact glynmathias@btinternet.com