SI Leeds Literary Prize - World Literary Awards

Established: 2012
Organizer: Soroptimist International of Leeds (SI Leeds)
Category: Plays, Scripts, and Screenplays
Selection Method: Open call
Target: Open
Frequency: Biennial (every 2 years)
Application Deadline: around May
Announcement Period: around November
Status: Active

Description

The SI Leeds Literary Prize, founded in 2012 by Soroptimist International of Leeds, is a biennial award for unpublished fiction by Black and Asian women resident in the UK (manuscripts over 30,000 words). It provides development support including an Arvon course place, manuscript assessment by The Literary Consultancy and consideration by Peepal Tree Press; prizes and support are offered to winner, runners-up and shortlisted authors.

Prize

Main Prize: Winner receives a development package (no consistent cash amount published): free place on an Arvon creative writing course, manuscript consideration by Peepal Tree Press, manuscript assessment and development support from The Literary Consultancy and partner organisations.

Free place on an Arvon creative writing course
Manuscript consideration by Peepal Tree Press
Manuscript assessment from The Literary Consultancy (TLC)
Writer development and one-to-one professional support
SI Readers' Choice award (separate vote by SI members)

Selection

Selection Process

Stage	Judges	Pass Rate	Announcement
Eligibility check	SI Leeds/organisers verify residency and eligibility (Black and Asian women, UK resident, aged 18+, unpublished).	—	Eligibility results are handled by organisers; entrants are informed directly.
Shortlist	Panel of judges (varies by year) including authors, publishers and industry professionals.	—	Shortlist announced publicly on the official website and SI Leeds social channels.
Final judging (winner/runner-up/third)	Final judging panel (authors, publishers and SI Leeds representatives) decides first, second and third prizes.	—	Winners announced at an awards ceremony and via the official website and social media.
SI Readers' Choice	SI members vote to choose the Readers' Choice from the shortlist.	—	Readers' Choice winner announced on the website and at the awards event.

Eligibility check

Judges SI Leeds/organisers verify residency and eligibility (Black and Asian women, UK resident, aged 18+, unpublished).

Announcement Eligibility results are handled by organisers; entrants are informed directly.

Shortlist

Judges Panel of judges (varies by year) including authors, publishers and industry professionals.

Announcement Shortlist announced publicly on the official website and SI Leeds social channels.

Final judging (winner/runner-up/third)

Judges Final judging panel (authors, publishers and SI Leeds representatives) decides first, second and third prizes.

Announcement Winners announced at an awards ceremony and via the official website and social media.

SI Readers' Choice

Judges SI members vote to choose the Readers' Choice from the shortlist.

Announcement Readers' Choice winner announced on the website and at the awards event.

Criteria

Literary quality and originality
Strong narrative voice and characterisation
Suitability as book-length fiction (manuscripts must exceed 30,000 words)
Unpublished status
Author is a Black or Asian woman resident in the UK and aged 18 or over
Potential for development and ability to reach new audiences

Application Tips

Dos

Always confirm eligibility (Black/Asian women resident in the UK, 18+, unpublished)
Confirm the manuscript is over 30,000 words
Thoroughly proofread and format before submission
Prepare format and required documents (synopsis, author info, etc.) according to guidelines
Prepare manuscript revisions or supporting materials in case of shortlisting