Partners

The Sunday Times, founded in 1822, is Britain’s best-selling quality newspaper. It celebrated its 10,000th edition in May 2016 and has long been a champion for literature and culture, including its weekly Bestseller List which is the oldest and most influential book sales chart in the UK.

The Sunday Times created the Young Writer of the Year Award in 1991 to celebrate young and emerging literary talent in the UK and Ireland and has recognised future Sunday Times bestselling authors for the last 30 years, including Simon Armitage, Max Porter and Sally Rooney.

“It has never been more difficult for young writers to gain notice and establish a career than it is today, and the Young Writer of the Year Award is hugely important for the way it puts the spotlight on our best emerging talent. The prestige of the award, and its extraordinary list of past winners, have made it a literary kite mark, and a really effective way of supporting the best new young British and Irish talent.” Andrew Holgate, Literary Editor, The Sunday Times.

Waterstones is the UK and Ireland’s leading high street bookseller with 290 bookshops, including Foyles, Hatchards, Hodges Figgis and branches in Ireland, Brussels and Amsterdam. It is the only national specialist book retailer of scale in the UK, with the average sized shop carrying a range of around 30,000 individual books with over 200,000 titles in the largest shop.

“We are delighted to be partnering with The Sunday Times Charlotte Aitken Young Writer of the Year Award, and look forward to working closely together to spread the word about this brilliant prize and the talented young writers which it celebrates. The award’s roster of past winners represents some of the best and brightest literary stars of the past 30 years.” Bea Carvalho, Waterstones Head of Fiction

The British Council builds connections, understanding and trust between people in the UK and other countries through arts and culture, education and the English language.

Working in two ways – directly with individuals to transform their lives, and with governments and partners to make a bigger difference for the longer term, creating benefit for millions of people all over the world.

The British Council help young people to gain the skills, confidence and connections they are looking for to realise their potential and to participate in strong and inclusive communities. Supporting them to learn English, to get a high-quality education and to gain internationally recognised qualifications. The work in arts and culture stimulates creative expression and exchange and nurtures creative enterprise.

The British Council connect the best of the UK with the world and the best of the world with the UK. These connections lead to an understanding of each other’s strengths and of the challenges and values shared. This builds trust between people in the UK and other nations which endures even when official relations may be strained.

Working on the ground in more than 100 countries, in 2019-20 the British Council connected with 80 million people directly and 791 million overall, including online and through broadcasts and publications.

The Society of Authors is the UK trade union for all types of writers, illustrators and literary translators, at all stages of their careers. They have more than 11,800 members and have been advising individuals and speaking out for the profession for more than a century. In 2020, they awarded just under £600,000 in grants and prizes (for fiction, non-fiction, poetry and translation).

In all the Society of Authors administers twenty-two prizes, including The Sunday Times Charlotte Aitken Young Writer of the Year Award.