As part of our celebrations of Anthony Burgess’s centenary in 2017 we are delighted to announce the shortlist for the Observer/Anthony Burgess Prizes for Arts Journalism. Now in their fifth year, the prizes of £3000 for the winner and £500 for two runners-up are for previously unpublished, imaginative, original, and thought-provoking arts journalism, and they mark Anthony Burgess’s 30-year association with the Observer newspaper.
This year we were pleased to present the prizes in partnership with Free Word Centre, who will commission the winners to produce new writing about the arts, supported by a European travel grant to undertake research.
The eight shortlisted pieces were selected by a distinguished panel of judges including the writer and broadcaster Kevin Jackson, the historian Lara Feigel, Observer editors Sarah Donaldson and Robert McCrum, and the director of the Burgess Foundation Andrew Biswell.
The shortlist is:
– Stephen Hargadon: ‘Pointless, BBC1′
– Ralph Jones: ‘Bridget Jones’s Baby‘
– Paul Kilbey: ‘Giselle: English National Ballet and Akram Khan’
– Giles Masters: ‘Shostakovich’s The Nose at the Royal Opera House’
– Liam O’Brien: ‘Justin Bieber: The Purpose World Tour’
– Ditlev Rindom: ‘Lucia di Lammermoor at the Royal Opera House’
– Susan Sheahan: ‘Evgenia Arbugaeva: Weatherman at The Photographers’ Gallery’
– Lyndsey Skinner: ‘John Samson: Dressing For Pleasure, 1975-1983 at Glasgow Gallery of Modern Art’
Entries of exceptional quality were received from all over the world. The judges were delighted to receive new and original writing on a huge range of subjects, including classical and popular music, TV of all kinds, fine art, book reviews and much more besides.
The winners of the prizes will be announced by the judges in the week of Anthony Burgess’s centenary, on the evening of Thursday 23 February 2017 at Kings Place, London, in a ceremony hosted by the Observer newspaper.
Further news updates about the prize can be found at www.anthonyburgess.org, on Twitter @anthonyburgess, or on the Burgess Foundation Facebook page.
