Governance & review
How literary work is selected
Selection rests on a structured framework of independent reading, collective deliberation, and clearly stated standards, so that every honour reflects the writing itself.
Review process
Reading stages and deliberation
Each submission is read independently by several reviewers across dedicated periods, allowing thorough engagement with the full text before any comparison takes place. Reviewers record observations privately, so that early impressions do not shape later judgments.
Once independent reading is complete, the committee convenes to deliberate collectively. Each work is discussed in turn, with reviewers weighing their notes against one another and returning to the text where questions remain.
Evaluation pillars
What the committee weighs
Adjudication is based strictly on textual quality and artistic merit.
Pillar one
Textual craft
Assessment of the precision of language, the control of rhythm, and the care given to every sentence.
Pillar two
Conceptual clarity
Attention to how voice, structure, and form work together to present a coherent and resonant whole.
Pillar three
Contribution to letters
Consideration of the original insight a work brings to its form and to the wider literary conversation.