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Wales Book of the Year 2017 shortlist announced

Literature Wales PrizeLiterature Wales

The shortlist for the Wales Book of the Year awards for 2017 has been announced.

There are 10 prizes on offer for works of fiction, creative non-fiction and poetry in English and Welsh.

As well as awards in those three categories, there is also a People's Choice winner and an overall winner in both languages.

The winners will be announced at a ceremony in Cardiff's Tramshed on 13 November.

The awards are organised by Literature Wales, but in June it was announced that responsibility for them will be transferred to the Wales Books Council.

They are being held later this year after a review published in April recommended organisers streamline the judging process, explore new financial options and consider ways of making the awards night part of a bigger event.

The main prizes in the 2016 awards were won by Thomas Morris for his short story collection We Don't Know What We're Doing, and Caryl Lewis for her novel Y Bwthyn.

English language shortlist

The Roland Mathias Poetry Award

  • What Possessed Me by John Freeman
  • The Other City by Rhiannon Hooson
  • Psalmody by Maria Apichella

The Rhys Davies Trust Fiction Award

  • Pigeon by Alys Conran
  • Cove by Cynan Jones
  • Ritual, 1969 by Jo Mazelis

The Creative Non-Fiction Award

  • The Tradition by Peter Lord
  • Jumpin' Jack Flash by Keiron Pim
  • The Black Prince of Florence by Catherine Fletcher

The judges for the English prizes are author Tyler Keevil, academic Dimitra Fimi and poet Jonathan Edwards.

Welsh language shortlist

Poetry Award

  • Chwilio am Dan by Elis Dafydd
  • Llinynnau by Aled Lewis Evans
  • Bylchau by Aneirin Karadog

Fiction Award

  • Ymbelydredd by Guto Dafydd
  • Iddew by Dyfed Edwards
  • Y Gwreiddyn by Caryl Lewis

Creative Non-Fiction Award

  • Gwenallt by Alan Llwyd
  • Optimist Absoliwt by Menna Elfyn
  • Cofio Dic, Idris Reynolds

The judges are critic Catrin Beard, author and poet Mari George and bookshop owner Eirian James.

The winners of each category will receive £1,000, while the overall winners will get an additional £3,000.