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The Polari literary salon – host to the UK’s only book prizes for emerging and established LGBTQ+ writers – has opened its call to publishers for this year’s awards, including a brand new award for children’s and YA literature.

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, Diriye Osman, Amrou Al- Kadhi and last year’s winner Mohsin Zaidi for his coming-of-age memoir A Dutiful Boy. The Polari Prize also awards an overall book of the year, excluding debuts, and previous winners include Andrew McMillan (Playtime), Kate Davies (In At the Deep End) and last year’s winner Diana Souhami for No Modernism Without Lesbians.

In November 2022, to mark the salon’s 15th birthday and the 11th anniversary of the Polari Prize, it will move to its new home at the British Library. The British Library will also collaborate with Polari on upcoming events.

Paul Burston, founder of the Polari Literary Salon and Polari Prizes said: ‘As Polari enters its 15th year, the salon continues to go from strength to strength, constantly developing new audiences and showcasing emerging and established LGBTQ+ literary talent across the UK and beyond. Moving to the British Library will enable us to flourish and grow even further. Adding a new category to the Polari Prize awards reconfirms our position as the UK’s leading book awards for LGBTQ+ writing. 2022 promises to be a hugely exciting year.’

This year, the Polari Salon introduces a new award for children’s and YA literature, shining a spotlight on growing range of wonderful books for children and young adults with LGBTQ+ themes or representation.

The prize will cover anything published in the 24 months up to and including February 1, 2022 and is open to any children’s or YA book. It will be sponsored by the inclusive children’s books company, Little Box of Books, with a £1000 prize awarded to the winner.

The 24 month period applies to this prize only. The submission fee is £15.

The judges for the inaugural Polari Children’s and YA Prize are Sam Sedgeman – co-author of Nibbies Children’s Book of the Year award-winning Adventures on Trains series, and co-host of the Down the Rabbit Hole children’s books radio show and podcast; Dr Liz Chapman – seen on Twitter as @lgbtlibrarian – a children’s librarian, associate lecturer in education, and researcher on LGBTQ+ literature and libraries; Lynsey Pollard – Founder of Little Box of Books and Zoey Dixon, chair of the Youth Libraries Group London and school librarian Emerson Milford Dickson. The prize will be chaired by author of The Pirate Mums, Jodie Lancet-Grant.

Jodie said: ‘If we are to create a truly tolerant society, we need to teach our children that anyone can be the hero of the story, whatever their sexuality, gender, or family set up. I started writing books featuring families with same sex parents because I could find so few on the shelves. Thankfully, that’s begun to change in recent years, and I’m delighted to be working with Paul and the Polari team. They’ve done an amazing job at promoting queer writing for adults, and I believe it’s time we do the same for books for children.’

Leading literary PR consultancy FMcM will continue its sponsorship of the Polari First Book Prize, with the winner receiving a cheque for £1,000. This year the prize continues its tradition of having the winner of the previous year on each judging panel with the remaining judges being made up of a distinguished group of authors and industry professionals.

For the Polari First Book Prize the judges are author Rachel Holmes, poets Keith Jarrett and Sophia Blackwell and 2021 prize winner Mohsin Zaidi.

This year’s prize is open to books published in the 12 months up to February 1, 2022.

The submission fee is £15.

Now in its fourth year, The Polari Prize will continue to be sponsored by DHH Literary Agency, with the winner receiving a cheque for £2,000.

The judging panel includes author VG Lee, literary critic Suzi Feay, Chris Gribble of the National Centre for Writing and 2021 prize winner Diana Souhami.

This year’s prize is open to books published in the 12 months up to February 1, 2022.

The submission fee is £25.

Both prize panels will be chaired by founder, journalist and author Paul Burston.

The deadline for submissions is Monday, May 2, 2022.

Long-lists will be announced later this year, with further programming information and details about events at the British Library still to be announced.

Eligibility for The Polari Prizes

a. Any full length novel, graphic novel, novella, short story collection, memoir, biography, non-fiction work or book of poetry written in English by a writer born or based in the UK and Ireland is eligible.

b. Writers must either identify as LGBTQ+ or explore LGBTQ+ themes and characters in the work submitted. In the case of The Polari First Book Prize, priority will be given to books which explore LGBTQ+ themes and characters. Writers working in all genres are actively encouraged.

c. All entries must be submitted in print form. Proof copies are not accepted. Where books exist only in e-book format, a bound printed copy will be accepted. E-books or PDFs will not be accepted unless specifically requested by the judges.

d. All entries must be first published in the United Kingdom or Ireland between Feb 2, 2021 and Feb 1, 2022, but may have been previously published outside the UK. Titles with simultaneous UK and US publications within this timeframe are eligible.

(In the case of the new prize for children’s and YA books, the timeframe is Feb 2, 2020 to Feb 1, 2022)

e. Self-published books are eligible for the Prizes. Submissions must include a covering letter explaining why the work was self-published.

f. Authors / publishers are reminded that it is their responsibility to ensure that all submitted titles meet all other requirements for the prize.

For all media enquiries please contact Kealey Ridgen or Chloe Rose at FMcM Associates.

For submissions to the Polari Prize and Polari First Book Prize, please contact Paul Burston

For submissions to the new Children’s and YA Prize, please contact Jodie Lancet-Grant