RSL-Ondaatje-Preis

The RSL Ondaatje Prize, administered by The Royal Society of Literature, is an annual literary award of £10,000 that recognises a distinguished work of fiction, non‑fiction or poetry which evokes the spirit of a place. First awarded in 2004, the prize aims to bring together a diverse range of authors and titles that might not otherwise be presented side by side. Entries are accepted only from trade publishers based in the United Kingdom or the Republic of Ireland; individual authors cannot submit their own work and self‑published books are excluded. Each publisher (or imprint) may enter one book, with the option to submit up to three call‑in titles. The closing date for submissions is Friday 6 November 2026 at 5 pm (GMT). Applications are made through an online form hosted on the Civiplus platform, and prospective applicants are encouraged to review the eligibility criteria and application questions PDFs provided on the RSL website. The prize offers a cash award of £10,000 to the winning author, providing significant financial support and recognition within the literary community.

Annual cash prize of £10,000

Books may be entered only by trade publishers based in the United Kingdom or Republic of Ireland; self‑published books are not eligible.