Introducing the ADCI Literary Prize

There is a new prize in the Society of Authors prize stable—the Authors with Disabilities & Chronic Illnesses Literary Prize, or ADCI Literary Prize for short.

The idea germinated back in 2020 when my publisher Clare Christian of RedDoor Press sent me an email, not long after she published my début novel: would I like to team up with her to found a literary prize to celebrate positive disability representation in fiction?

Christian carries on the story: “When Penny submitted her first novel, My Perfect Sister, for consideration I loved the fact that she had included a disabled character who was simply a character, rather than a lead character overcoming huge challenges. It made me think a lot about how disabled people are represented in literature, and when I read an interview with Penny, about how the only book she had read as a child that included a disabled character ended with him miraculously being able to walk again, it really cemented this concern that people living with disability are simply not seeing themselves reflected in their reading. I wanted to find a way to improve that and so the idea for the prize was born, and approaching Penny, as both an author and a person living with disability, was a no-brainer.”

We already have lots of ideas of how to expand the prize in the future and encourage disabled and chronically ill people to get writing

Of course I jumped at the chance. For me representation is a personal issue. I grew up not seeing anyone like me, disabled and northern, in novels or publishing. I’m a firm believer that you’ve got to be able to “see it” in order to “be it”. That’s why in my thrillers I include disabled characters going about their everyday lives, if not in everyday circumstances—if they did, the thrillers wouldn’t be very thrilling!—but it’s important to me that we’re in there and we’re seen.

Disability representation in children’s books is improving, but in adult novels it’s rare, and there’s still the stereotype of disabled and chronically ill people being cured out of the blue, or suffering miserably then dying to provide the book’s pathos.

Christian and I brainstormed, planned, approached possible supporters and sponsors, and were delighted when the Society of Authors welcomed us into their prize stable and secured funding from Arts Council England.

Robyn Law, head of prizes and awards at the SoA, explained why they were keen to work with us. “We recognised this as an opportunity to celebrate disabled authors and their stories,” she said. “The ADCI Literary Prize aligns perfectly with our industry commitment to inclusivity among creators, audiences, and industry professionals. We believe this is essential for building a strong creative economy and ensuring that the benefits of cultural participation are shared by all.”

Why the ADCI name? At around the same time our prize plan was germinating, I joined the Society of Authors’ newly formed sub-group, for Authors with a Disability or Chronic Illness, which was co-founded by Claire Wade and Patrick Walsh. The group is a tremendously supportive and enthusiastic one, full of talented writers who want to improve the recognition of us in the industry and spread best practice for working with DCI authors. Their reaction to the prize idea was an outstanding yes, and it made sense to use the name ADCI for the prize.

“The ADCI Literary Prize is a positive step towards disabled and chronically ill authors being more publicly recognised,” said Wade, author of The Choice. “The prize is the perfect opportunity to raise [the profile of] disabled voices and introduce new readers to different lived experiences. Last year I guest edited The Disability Issue of The Bookseller on behalf of ADCI. We called on the publishing industry to become more adaptable and inclusive of disabled people. It’s encouraging to see signs that things are improving—from the new literary prize to the Society of Authors’ ADCI Week at Home in the first week of July (with a focus on how to remove the barriers disabled authors face), we are starting to make progress.”

Christian and I are hugely grateful for the support we have received for the prize so far. Thanks go to Robyn Law and Nicola Solomon at the SoA and all the employees there who work on the SoA ADCI group and the society’s prizes. Arts Council England’s funding for three years has allowed us to plan for the future, along with the very generous bequest from the Drusilla Harvey Memorial Fund. Thanks also to the Professional Writing Academy, the ALCS and The Hawthornden Literary Retreat. 

We already have lots of ideas of how to expand the prize in the future and encourage disabled and chronically ill people to get writing. If you’d like to become a sponsor to help make them happen, please get in touch.

In June 2023 we’ll announce our inaugural winner, who will receive £1,000. The entry form, opening and closing dates, terms and conditions, and all the small print blurb, will be on the SoA’s website. Publishers and agents, please encourage your eligible authors to submit their recently published novels. We also welcome entries from self-published authors. No proof of a disability or illness is required as applicants will self-identify themselves.

I’m going to be one of the three prize judges and can’t wait to get stuck into reading and discovering the wealth of the DCI community’s talents. I passionately believe that the prize will show agents, editors and publishers that there’s a huge market out there just waiting to be tapped into.