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The Polari Prizes, which celebrate emerging and established LGBTQ+ writers, have announced a new partnership with easyJet holidays.
The partnership has been pledged over a three-year period with the "mutual goal of amplifying literature exploring the LGBTQ+ experience". The collaboration will include a new podcast, a series of live events, and further funding for the annual prize ceremony, prize giveaways and audience outreach.
Founded in 2011 by author and activist Paul Burston, the Polari Prize has grown in size and scope year on year, with a second category for non-debut books added in 2019, and a third, biennial category for children’s and YA books announced in 2022.
easyJet holidays chief executive Garry Wilson attended the 2023 winners’ ceremony for the Polari Prize, held at the British Library, and pledged his support to the awards for the next three years.
He said of the new partnership: "We are delighted to be partnering with the Polari Prizes to further our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion. We’re incredibly proud to be championing this important initiative and we look forward to enhancing and celebrating LGBTQ+ literature in 2024 and beyond."
Burston commented: "We’re thrilled to be partnering with easyJet holidays, whose generous support couldn’t have come at a better time. Interest in the Polari Prize has grown enormously over the past few years. This new partnership enables us to build on this success, celebrating LGBTQ+ literature and creating even more opportunities for LGBTQ+ writers."
The Polari First Book Prize is awarded annually to a debut book that explores the LGBTQ+ experience, and has previously been won by writers including Kirsty Logan, Amrou Al-Kadhi, Diriye Osman, Mohsin Zaidi, Adam Zmith, and last year’s winner Jon Ransom for The Whale Tattoo (Muswell Press).
The annual, overall Polari Book Prize, which excludes debuts, has previously been awarded to Andrew McMillan, Kate Davies, Diana Souhami, Joelle Taylor, and last year’s winner Julia Armfield for Our Wives Under the Sea (Picador). The biennial Polari Children’s and YA Prize returns this year after Nen and the Lonely Fisherman by Ian Eagleton and James Mayhew (Owlet Press) won the inaugural award in 2022.
The longlist announcement will take place on Friday 26th July at Propaganda in Hull, with Louise Beech, Barbara Brownskirt, William Hussey and VG Lee. The shortlist announcement will take place on Monday 30th September, with a pre-announcement event on Sunday 29th September at the Ironworks in Brighton with Neil Bartlett, Karen McLeod, Joelle Taylor and more. The winners will be announced at a ceremony on Tuesday 29th November at the British Library.