PEN Hessell-Tiltman Prize
ぺんへっせるてぃるとまんしょう
An annual award from English PEN for non-fiction books of historical content covering any historical period, excluding historical biography and heavily military works.
- Established
- 2002
- Organizer
- English PEN
- Category
- Nonfiction and Documentary Literature
- Selection Method
- Recommendation
- Target
- Professional
- Frequency
- 1 per year
- Announcement Period
- around December
- Status
- Active
Description
The PEN Hessell-Tiltman Prize is awarded annually for non-fiction books of historical content across any historical period. Submissions must demonstrate high literary merit and be written for a general rather than primarily academic audience. Historical biography and heavily military-focused works are excluded. Only first British publications in English are eligible; translations do not qualify. The prize was established from a bequest of £100,000 by Marjorie Hessell-Tiltman, a PEN member, and has been awarded since 2002. It is administered by English PEN, with the winner receiving £2,000.
Prize
- Main Prize
- Winner receives prize money and promotion/recognition by English PEN
- Cash Prize
- 2,000 GBP
- Promotion through award and shortlist mention (English PEN announcements and press releases)
- Past instances include joint winners or honourable mentions
- Established with fund from Marjorie Hessell-Tiltman's donation
Selection
Selection Process
| Stage | Judges | Pass Rate | Announcement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entry/Nomination acceptance | Accepts entries/nominations from publishers, authors, etc. (following English PEN regulations) | Unknown | Entry deadlines and acceptance follow English PEN guidelines |
| Shortlist selection | Judging panel appointed by English PEN (varies by year) | Unknown (usually several titles selected for shortlist) | Shortlist announced on English PEN website and press |
| Winner determination | Same as above (final selection from shortlist) | Unknown | Winner officially announced by English PEN and publicized via press releases, etc. |
Criteria
- Covers historical content up to and including World War II
- Possesses high literary and narrative value
- Not primarily academic specialist format (e.g., academic paper collections or dense annotation-focused)
- Published in the target award year
- Balance of research-backed originality/novelty and accessibility to general readers
Application Tips
Dos
- 対象期間（第二次世界大戦までを含む）に該当する歴史的ノンフィクションであることを確認する
- 出版年が応募対象の年であることを確認する
- 学術的な脚注や注釈はあっても、一般読者に読まれる文体・叙述性を重視する
- 英語PENの公式応募要項（英語）を事前に確認し、規定に沿って応募する
- 書評やメディア掲載など、作品の評価を示す補助資料がある場合は整えておく
Don''ts
- 主に学術論文や専門的研究書の体裁のみの作品を応募しない（学術性のみを重視する応募は不向き）
- フィクション作品や対象期間を超える作品を応募しない
- 応募規定を無視した形式で提出しない（提出形式・締切を確認する）
From Judges
- 歴史研究の確かさと同時に、読み物としての語り口・文体の良さを重視する
- 独自の視点や新しい解釈、豊かな一次史料の活用は評価される
- 一般読者にも伝わる明瞭な文章と構成を心がけること
Related Awards
- Other English PEN awards (e.g., PEN Ackerley Prize, etc.)
- PEN International-supported awards in each country
- UK history awards list (List of history awards)
- UK non-fiction literary awards