The John Llewellyn Rhys Prize was a literary prize given every year for the best work of literature (fiction, non-fiction, poetry, or drama) by an author from the Commonwealth who is 35 years old or younger. The work must be written in English and published in the United Kingdom. Created in 1942, it was one of the earliest literary awards in the United Kingdom.

Since 2011, the award has been paused due to money issues. The last award was given in 2010.

History

The prize was started in 1942 by Jane Oliver to honor her husband, John Llewellyn Rhys, a young writer who died on August 5, 1940, while working as a bomber pilot in the Royal Air Force.

From 1987 to 2003, the prize was supported by The Mail on Sunday. The newspaper stopped funding it in 2003 after the first winner of the 2002 prize, Hari Kunzru, refused to accept it and criticized The Mail on Sunday for "unfair treatment of Black and Asian people." After this, the prize was supported by BookTrust, an independent educational charity. However, in June 2011, the award was paused because of funding issues. BookTrust stated it planned to restart the award as soon as possible while seeking new funding sources.

In 2010, the winner received £5,000, and each runner-up received £500.