If you’ve ever wondered how the Rubery Book Award picks its winners, you’re in the right place. Judging a book competition might seem straightforward at first glance - you read a book, decide if it’s good, and move on. But the reality? It’s a bit more nuanced, a bit more thoughtful, and yes, a bit more fun than you might expect. Let’s dive into the world of Rubery Award judging criteria and uncover what really goes on behind the scenes. What Makes the Rubery Award Judging Cri

Fiction winner 2023 How did you feel when you learned you’d won the Rubery Book Award? At first, I thought my friends were “punking” me. After confirming with my agent, I was humbled, surprised then elated. What does this award mean to you personally — and to your writing career? My entire writing career I have been consumed by doubt and in many ways a feeling of imposter syndrome. I would wonder if I belong to the writing community and whether or not I have anything of valu

Different forms of writing, different genres, and the widest imaginable range of styles and themes. Its eclecticism is a joy for me, partly because it exposes me to writing that I wouldn't normally read. This has been a profoundly enriching experience...

I don’t really keep my eye on awards and prizes. However, they come into view when writers I admire win them, so when Angela Readman’s dazzling short story collection Don’t Try This At Home won in 2015, I became aware of the Rubery, and had a look at what else had won in recent years – all of which turned out to be work that I liked (yes, it prompted me to purchase a few books I hadn’t come across). This prompted me to submit Learning to Have Lost, as I thought my work might