Desmond Elliott Prize · 2022 · Winner
Maps of Our Spectacular Bodies
Maddie MortimerFor its formal audacity and its profound investigation of language, the body, and dying — a debut of genuine originality.
Desmond Elliott Prize
2022 Winner
Complete History
2020s
2010s
- 2019Golden Child — Claire Adam
- 2018We That Are Young — Preti Taneja
- 2017Golden Hill — Francis Spufford
- 2016The Glorious Heresies — Lisa McInerney
- 2015Our Endless Numbered Days — Claire Fuller
- 2014A Girl Is a Half-Formed Thing — Eimear McBride
- 2013The Marlowe Papers — Ros Barber
- 2012The Land of Decoration — Grace McCleen
- 2011Saraswati Park — Anjali Joseph
- 2010The Girl with Glass Feet — Ali Shaw
About the Desmond Elliott Prize
The Desmond Elliott Prize was an annual award for the best debut novel written in English and published in the United Kingdom, worth £10,000 to the winner. Named in honour of the distinguished publisher and literary agent Desmond Elliott (1932–2003), the prize was inaugurated in 2007 as a biennial award before becoming annual from 2009. It was dedicated to supporting debut fiction writers and celebrating novels that combined compelling narrative, arresting character, and vividly realised writing. Winners were announced at a ceremony held at Fortnum & Mason, Elliott's favourite local grocer, a tradition that reflected the prize's warmth and elegance. Past winners include Nikita Lalwani's Gifted (2008), Eimear McBride's A Girl Is a Half-Formed Thing (2014), Francis Spufford's Golden Hill (2017), Preti Taneja's We That Are Young (2018), and Maddie Mortimer's Maps of Our Spectacular Bodies (2022). In December 2019, the Desmond Elliott Charitable Trust was wound up and its funds transferred to the National Centre for Writing in Norwich, which continued to administer the prize through 2022. The prize was put on hold in 2022 due to funding difficulties. In 2023, the National Centre for Writing replaced the prize with funded residencies for debut fiction writers. As of 2025, the prize has not resumed, though it remains listed among the Centre's Early Career Awards.
Frequently Asked Questions
- An annual award, now on hiatus, for the best debut novel written in English and published in the UK, worth £10,000. Named for publisher and agent Desmond Elliott, it was inaugurated in 2007.
- Judges sought a novel with a compelling narrative, arresting characters, and writing that is both vivid and confidently realised. Any fiction genre was eligible.
- The prize was put on hold after 2022 due to funding difficulties. The National Centre for Writing, which administers it, replaced it with residencies for debut fiction writers in 2023. As of 2025, the prize has not resumed.
- The prize was for first full-length works of fiction written in English and published in the UK by authors whose permanent residence was in the UK or Ireland.
- A panel of three judges selected a longlist of 10 titles, then a shortlist of three, before choosing a winner. Each shortlisted author received a hamper from Fortnum & Mason.
- At Fortnum & Mason in Piccadilly, London — Desmond Elliott's local grocer, chosen as a tribute to him.
- Notable winners include Eimear McBride for A Girl Is a Half-Formed Thing (2014), Francis Spufford for Golden Hill (2017), and Preti Taneja for We That Are Young (2018).