SI Leeds Literary Prize is an award for unpublished fiction by Black and Asian women resident in the UK aged 18 years and over. The prize has been developed and managed by SI Leeds in partnership with Ilkley Literature Festival and Leeds-based publishers Peepal Tree Press. The prize aims to act a platform for exciting new talent, from a group largely under-represented on our bookshelves.
The inaugural prize was awarded to Minoli Salgado for her novel, A Little Dust On The Eyes on 3 October 2012 as part of the Ilkley Literature Festival and was very well received. The novel has now been published by Peepal Tree Press. Other winners from that competition have been involved in the 2013, 2014 and 2015 Festivals as well as other events linked to SI and Peepal Tree Press.
The 2014 award event included Head Judge, Kerry Young, author of Pau and Gloria and crime novelist Dreda Say Mitchell being interviewed by Dawn Cameron of the Ilkley Literature Festival. The prizes were announced and presented by President Margaret Oldroyd of SIGBI – top prize went to Mahsuda Snaith for The Constellation of Ravine Roy.
The 2016 Prize was awarded to Amita Murray for Marmite and Mango Chutney. Second prize went to Winnie M Li for Dark Chapter and third prize, and the SI Readers’ Choice award, went to Jamilah Ahmed for Recognising Strangers. This time Margaret Oldroyd was one of the judges, and the prizes were presented by (then) SIGBI President Margaret Emsley.
In 2018 Shereen Tadros won 1st prize for Say Goodbye to Her; 2nd prize went to Yvonne Singh for One Man’s Revolution and 3rd to Kavita Bhanot, for Baba ji on Boulton Road – while the readers’ choice was Omega Douglas for Hibiscus, Rose, Jacaranda. SIGBI President Sue Biggs presented this last prize.
And now………..we are looking forward to the 2020 competition!
There is more information on the prize website https://www.sileedsliteraryprize.com/