Sackville wins John Llewellyn Rhys Prize

A story of lost love and Arctic adventure has won this year’s John Llewellyn Rhys Prize for writers aged 35 and under.

Amy Sackville’s debut novel The Still Point, published by Portobello, beat authors including Nadifa Mohamed and Cordelia Fine to the £5,000 Prize. The five shortlisted authors received £500 each. She was awarded the prize tonight (23rd November).

Claire Allfree, chair of judges said: "We are thrilled that Amy Sackville has won the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize this year . . . She is a writer of seemingly limitless promise and, amid some tough competition, a thoroughly deserving winner."

The shortlist also comprised:

A Light Song of Light by Kei Miller (Carcanet)
Black Mamba Boy by Nadifa Mohamed (HarperCollins)
Bomber County by Daniel Swift (Hamish Hamilton)
Corrag by Susan Fletcher (Fourth Estate)
Delusions of Gender by Cordelia Fine (Icon Books)