British Council partners with Young Writer of the Year Award

The British Council has been announced as the international partner of the Sunday Times/Peters Fraser + Dunlop Young Writer of the Year Award, run in association with the University of Warwick.

The agreement is "another step for the award, which is open to writers from the UK and Ireland, and seeks to become the definitive platform for young writing in both countries", said the organisers.

In its role as international partner, the British Council – which works with over 100 countries across the world in the fields of arts and culture, English language, education and civil society – will be supporting shortlisted writers in exploring international opportunities. Through the partnership, the organisation will pursue travel opportunities for the shortlisted writers, and provide access to the British Council network and exposure to international audiences through its online platforms.

Cortina Butler, director of Literature at the British Council, said: “We are delighted to be working with this important award and look forward to supporting all the shortlisted young writers in gaining international experiences that will inspire them for the rest of their working lives. This prize has a great reputation for identifying outstanding writers at the very beginning of their careers, and we are very pleased to work with our partners to showcase the diversity and strength of contemporary UK and Irish writing to audiences around the world.”

Andrew Holgate, literary editor of The Sunday Times, added: “It is a real privilege to have the British Council as our international partner for The Sunday Times / Peters Fraser + Dunlop Young Writer of the Year Award, in association with the University of Warwick. This exciting new partnership will provide fantastic opportunities for our shortlisted writers – in the year of their nomination and beyond. In the third year after the award was brought back thanks to the generous sponsorship of Peters Fraser + Dunlop, with our association with the University of Warwick in full swing, the wonderful support of the British Council turns the award into a true multi-partner platform that goes further and further in its support of our young writers at the crucial early stage of their careers.”

Last year, the award was won by Max Porter for his "extraordinary" debut Grief is the Thing with Feathers (Faber).