The author on Perranporth Beach. In the background is the
wooden bungalow he rented and walked to each day to write the
novel Demelza.
novel Demelza.
Winston
Graham
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The Winston Graham Prize
In 2008, as part of the centenary celebrations of Winston Graham’s birth, the Royal Institution of Cornwall announced
the launch of The Winston Graham Historical Prize. This is funded by a generous legacy from the author and sup-
ported by his family. In its inaugural year (2009), it was agreed that the Prize should be for an unpublished work of
historical fiction which, preferably, had a clear connection to Cornwall. The winner would receive £5000 in cash with the
potential for publication by panmacmillan, subject to their acceptance.
the launch of The Winston Graham Historical Prize. This is funded by a generous legacy from the author and sup-
ported by his family. In its inaugural year (2009), it was agreed that the Prize should be for an unpublished work of
historical fiction which, preferably, had a clear connection to Cornwall. The winner would receive £5000 in cash with the
potential for publication by panmacmillan, subject to their acceptance.
The 2009 judges were:
Peggotty Graham (Chair), Philip Marsden, Marjory Chapman, Helen Dunmore, Jessica Mann
The following were shortlisted:
On Trencrom Hill by Dr. Clare Hobba
The Horse of Power by Jan Williams
The Custom of the County by Nicolas St. Aubyn
Sunlight on the Pathway by Peter Rothwell
Charlotte Penhale by June Golton
Solid by Simon Parker
2009 Prize Award
In this inaugural year the judges regretfully concluded that the prize could not be awarded to a single entry. Instead
they awarded three ‘development’ bursaries of £1,000 each. ‘We were looking for a strong setting, a persuasive plot,
three dimensional characters and a good writing style’ said Ms. Graham ‘All the manuscripts we read were very good in
parts with some beautifully crafted descriptive passages and some good accounts of action’. Sadly ‘no single entry in its
current state stood out as having everything we were looking for, though the three we’ve chosen for development bursa-
ries certainly have the makings of good novels with a little more work’.
they awarded three ‘development’ bursaries of £1,000 each. ‘We were looking for a strong setting, a persuasive plot,
three dimensional characters and a good writing style’ said Ms. Graham ‘All the manuscripts we read were very good in
parts with some beautifully crafted descriptive passages and some good accounts of action’. Sadly ‘no single entry in its
current state stood out as having everything we were looking for, though the three we’ve chosen for development bursa-
ries certainly have the makings of good novels with a little more work’.
The bursaries of £1,000 each were awarded to: Dr. Clare Hobba for On Trencrom Hill, Peter Rothwell for Sunlight on
the Pathway, Simon Parker for Solid.
the Pathway, Simon Parker for Solid.
The next prize is likely to be in 2012 and from then on will be known as The Winston Graham Prize. Full details
will be on the website of the Royal Institution of Cornwall as well as on this website.
will be on the website of the Royal Institution of Cornwall as well as on this website.
