3rd September 2012

Win £2000 for a piece of writing on brand new work in the arts.

Beyond his prolific career as a novelist and composer, Anthony Burgess was an energetic journalist. In his lifetime he published two substantial collections of journalism, Urgent Copy (1968) and Homage to Qwert Yuiop (1986). Between 1962 and his death in 1993 he wrote many articles and reviews for the Observer, which he often spoke of as 'my paper'. Among his 'discoveries' as a reviewer were Joseph Heller, Sylvia Plath and Umberto Eco.

To commemorate Burgess's long association with the Observer, we have set up a new Observer/Anthony Burgess Prize.

The purpose of the prize is to encourage promising new arts journalists. The prize will be for the best writing on brand new work in the arts which has not previously been published, whether in print or on the internet. The winning essay might take the form of an interview or profile of a writer, artist or musician; a piece on a new artistic movement or venture; or a review of a book, film, a concert, a ballet or a stage play.

The prize will be judged by a panel including William Boyd, Scarlett Thomas and Kamila Shamsie. When choosing the winner, the judges will be looking for imaginative, original, and thought-provoking arts journalism that would be suitable for publication in the Observer. They will be looking for emerging talent, innovative approaches and writing from outside the mainstream, and they are especially keen to read entries from those who have not previously had work published by major media organisations.

http://www.anthonyburgess.org/?utm_source=Anthony+Burgess+mailing+list&utm_campaign=a243804ebb-Events__early_Sept&utm_medium=email