Orwell Prize Launch Debate

This year’s Orwell Prize Launch Debate,will be held at the Frontline Club, London on Wednesday 9^th November. There will be drinks from 6.30pm, with the discussion starting after the announcement of this year’s judges at 7pm.

This year’s launch debate is on the topic ‘Writing the riots’, and will feature Nicolas Kent (artistic director of the Tricycle Theatre), Paul Lewis (special projects editor of The Guardian, previously shortlisted), Mary Riddell (associate editor of the Daily Telegraph, previously shortlisted) and Alex Wheatle (award-winning novelist, books include Brixton Rock and East of Acre Lane). Further details are at http://theorwellprize.co.uk/events/launch-debate-2012-writing-the-riots/.

Places are free, but limited, and RSVP (to gavin.freeguard@mediastandardstrust.org) is essential. Please feel free to forward the invitation to friends and colleagues.

Entries for this year’s Prize will open on the 9^th November and close on 18^th January 2012, for work published in 2011. The longlists will be announced on 28^th March and the shortlists at a shortlist debate on 25^th April. This year’s Prizes will be presented at Church House on 23^rd May 2012.

PDF and online versions of the entry form will be available on our website from the 9^th. The full rules are already on our site, at http://theorwellprize.co.uk/the-orwell-prize/how-to-enter/rules/. 

This year’s George Orwell Memorial Lecture, organised by the Orwell Trust and Birkbeck College will be given by Alan Rusbridger, editor-in-chief of Guardian News and Media, on ‘Hacking Away at the Truth’, on Thursday 10^th November, at the Charles Darwin lecture theatre at UCL, at 6pm. Again, places are free but limited, and RSVP is essential – please email events@bbk.ac.uk if you’d like to attend. Full details at http://theorwellprize.co.uk/events/orwell-lecture-2011-alan-rusbridger-hacking-away-at-the-truth/.