SoA launches new fiction prize to encourage positive representation of disability

The Society of Authors (SoA) is launching a new fiction prize to encourage positive representation of disability in literature. 

The Authors with Disabilities & Chronic Illnesses (ADCI) Literary Prize will become an annual award. It is open to writers with a disability or chronic illness for novels that include a disabled or chronically ill character.  

It is thought to be the first prize of its kind, founded by author Penny Batchelor and publisher Clare Christian at RedDoor Press. It will be sponsored by Arts Council England, the ALCS, the Drusilla Harvey Memorial Fund, the Hawthornden Literary Retreat, and the Professional Writing Academy, and will become part of the SoA Awards stable. 

The winner will receive £1,000 and two runners-up will each receive £500. It will open for entries in August and will be awarded for the first time at the SoA Awards in June 2023.  

Batchelor, who describes how the prize came to be in a comment piece for The Bookseller this week, said: “I’m over the moon that after two years of planning, and with the support of the SoA and other organisations, the SoA ADCI prize is now a reality. The prize will make a great difference in highlighting the importance of positive disability representation in our culture, as well as raising the profile of DCI authors and their books to readers and the wider publishing industry.  

“Huge thanks go to my fellow co-founder Clare Christian for coming up with the idea and approaching me with it. I’m humbled to be on the judging panel and look forward to getting stuck in reading once submissions are open. We’re already coming up with ideas for year two, including ways to encourage more disabled and chronically ill people to pick up a pen, discover the joys of writing and consider a career as a novelist.” 

Christian added: “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. It goes without saying that we’re both hugely grateful for the support we have received for the prize so far.” 

Robyn Law, the SoA’s head of prizes and awards, added: “I was delighted when Penny and Clare approached the SoA with their plans for a new prize that has become the ADCI Literary Prize. We recognised this as an opportunity to celebrate disabled authors and their stories and we are so proud that this new prize will be part of the SoA Awards given out each summer. 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.”