Literary prize culture favours young and marketable writers – and the new Futures scheme is simply adding to the problem
Last week, the Women’s prize announced a new award in partnership with Good Housekeeping magazine. “Futures” will provide promotional support to 10 female writers of fiction in the UK and Ireland who have published one book. The award, however, has an age limit of 35.
It’s great to encourage young writers, so what’s the problem? The arts world is already deluged with age-limited awards. Big prizes include the Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year award (for under-35s), the Dylan Thomas (for under-39s) and the Rooney prize (for under-40s) in Ireland. There are also a host of smaller age-limited grants, residencies and other opportunities, not to mention publicity campaigns similar to Futures, such a Granta’s Best Young British Novelists (for under-40s) and their Best Young Spanish Novelists (who, for some reason, have to make it even faster, by the age of 35). The assumption, it seems, is that older writers are so culturally or financially secure that they have no need for money or recognition.