The Jhalak Prize 2020

Shortlist announced for prize for UK writers of colour co-founded by Cass academic Sunny Singh.

Date: 30 April 2020

The shortlist for the 2020 Jhalak prize which celebrates books by British and British resident BAME writers has been announced.

Launched in 2017 by authors Sunny Singh, who is also a Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing and English Literature BA at The Cass, Nikesh Shukla and Media Diversified, with support from The Authors’ Club and funds donated by an anonymous benefactor, the prize of £1000 exists to support and celebrate writers of colour in Britain.

This year’s shortlisted author’s and books are: Dean Atta, The Black Flamingo​ (Hodder Children’s); Yvonne Battle-Felton, Remembered​ (Dialogue); Candice Carty-Williams, Queenie​ (Orion); Mary Jean Chan, Flèche (Faber); Romesh Gunesekera, Suncatcher (Bloomsbury) and Johny Pitts, Afropean: Notes From Black Europe (Allen Lane).

The prize is unique in that it only accepts entries published in the UK by writers of colour. These include (and not limited to) fiction, non-fiction, short stories, graphic novels, poetry, children’s books, YA, teen and all other genres. The prize is also open to self-published writers. 

​In addition, each year a new trophy is created for the prize as part of the Jhalak Art Residency. This year the award has been designed by Neda Koochakian Fard.

The winner or the 2020 Jhalak Prize will be announced on 26 May. 

A stack of books seen from their backbones and their titles written on them

News details

Subject area Cass Engish and Creative Writing
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