The Barbellion Prize
@barbellionprize.bsky.social
The Barbellion Prize celebrates and promotes writing that represents the experience of chronic illness and disability. SUBMISSIONS OPEN https://barbellionprize.org/ **NEW CORRECT OFFICIAL ACCOUNT**
The books pictured are all by writers who could have entered The Barbellion Prize, inc. The Journal of a Disappointed Man by the author this award is named after: W.N.P. Barbellion! LAST CHANCE TO ENTER SUBS CLOSE 1ST SEPT! TBP celebrates writing that reps experience of chronic illness & disability.
The 2021 @barbellionprize.bsky.social winning What Willow Says by @lynnbuckle.bsky.social ‘Evocative, carefully crafted and full of heart’ From you local bookshop, as ePub or direct from us:https://www.epoquepress.com/online-store/What-Willow-Says-p300450204 #epoquepress #booksky
Huge thanks to comedian, author & all round legend, Robin Ince, for just giving W.N.P. Barbellion & The Barbellion Prize a shout out on his Instagram! Subs are open until 1st September for writers living with disability or chronic illness. Please support in anyway you can! 🙏 barbellionprize.org
Huge thanks to comedian, author & all round legend, Robin Ince, for just giving W.N.P. Barbellion & The Barbellion Prize a shout out on his Instagram! Subs are open until 1st September for writers living with disability or chronic illness. Please support in anyway you can! 🙏 barbellionprize.org
A look back at our previous shortlists and longlists 2020-2022 and a reminder that we are OPEN for submissions for the 2026 Barbellion Prize until 1st September. The Prize is awarded to writers who, in the opinion of the judges, have produced works of fiction or non-fiction that best reflect… 1/3
A look back at our previous shortlists and longlists 2020-2022 and a reminder that we are OPEN for submissions for the 2026 Barbellion Prize until 1st September. The Prize is awarded to writers who, in the opinion of the judges, have produced works of fiction or non-fiction that best reflect… 1/3
You can now read ‘Necessary Hypocritical Luddism’, a piece by our founder @jgoldsmith.bsky.social, from Summer issue 21 @exactingclam.bsky.social online! The Barbellion Prize is open for subs for books of prose literature that represent the experience of chronic illness & disability until Sept. 1st.
Thank you Michael Caines for giving us a mention in @thetls.bsky.social! "A notable revival is the Barbellion prize-named for W.N.P. Barbellion, the diarist, who suffered from multiple sclerosis - which "celebrates & promotes writing that represents the experience of chronic illness & disability"…
You can now read ‘Necessary Hypocritical Luddism’, a piece by our founder @jgoldsmith.bsky.social, from Summer issue 21 @exactingclam.bsky.social online! The Barbellion Prize is open for subs for books of prose literature that represent the experience of chronic illness & disability until Sept. 1st.
Belated thanks to Chinaza James-Ibe for including us in her Creative Writing News round-up a while back! Thanks also to everyone who has submitted, donated and helped spread the word so far! www.creativewritingnews.com/the-barbelli...
Thank you Michael Caines for giving us a mention in @thetls.bsky.social! "A notable revival is the Barbellion prize-named for W.N.P. Barbellion, the diarist, who suffered from multiple sclerosis - which "celebrates & promotes writing that represents the experience of chronic illness & disability"…
Thanks to Martin Doyle for including us in his Friday round-up in The Irish Times! @irishtimes.com “What links Virginia Woolf, Christy Brown, and Hilary Mantel? Beyond their brilliance, each could have been a contender for The Barbellion Prize…
…This award honours writing that explores the lived experience of chronic illness and disability. Named after diarist W.N.P. Barbellion, known for his reflections on life with multiple sclerosis, it recognises outstanding English-language prose across genres…
…In 2021, Irish writer Lynn Buckle won for What Willow Says, a moving novel about a deaf child and her grandmother discovering connection through sign language, nature, and myth…
…The prize was founded by author Jake Goldsmith @jgoldsmith.bsky.social, inspired while writing his memoir Neither Weak Nor Obtuse (2019). Living with cystic fibrosis, Goldsmith examines how illness shapes perception and highlights literature's therapeutic and social impact…
…A two-year hiatus followed the last award in 2023 and the prize was relaunched in 2025. It is now open for submission until September 1st, 2026.” www.irishtimes.com/culture/book... Read our Terms & Conditions & submit here: barbellionprize.org
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irishtimes.com
Thanks to Martin Doyle for including us in his Friday round-up in The Irish Times! @irishtimes.com “What links Virginia Woolf, Christy Brown, and Hilary Mantel? Beyond their brilliance, each could have been a contender for The Barbellion Prize…
Thanks to Fiona O'Connor for her piece on the return of The Barbellion Prize in The Morning Star online! “Founded by writer Jake Goldsmith & relaunched this year following a hiatus, the prize has built a reputation for promoting talented writing.” Read here: morningstaronline.co.uk/article/good...
Thanks to Fiona O'Connor for her piece on the return of The Barbellion Prize in The Morning Star online! “Founded by writer Jake Goldsmith & relaunched this year following a hiatus, the prize has built a reputation for promoting talented writing.” Read here: morningstaronline.co.uk/article/good...
Submissions are now open for the 2026 prize, until 1st September 2026.
The Barbellion Prize@barbellionprize.bsky.social · 5mo agoThe Barbellion Prize PAST WINNERS! 🏆🏆🏆 2020: Riva Lehrer Golem Girl: A Memoir (One World/Virago Press) 2021: What Willow Says @lynnbuckle.bsky.social (@epoquepress.bsky.social) 2022: @lettymchugh.bsky.social Book of Hours: An Almanac for The Seasons of The Soul (Self-published w/support from DAO)
The Barbellion Prize PAST WINNERS! 🏆🏆🏆 2020: Riva Lehrer Golem Girl: A Memoir (One World/Virago Press) 2021: What Willow Says @lynnbuckle.bsky.social (@epoquepress.bsky.social) 2022: @lettymchugh.bsky.social Book of Hours: An Almanac for The Seasons of The Soul (Self-published w/support from DAO)
Read more about the past winners over at The Barbellion Prize website, where you can also read our Terms and Conditions for the 2026 prize and, if you can, make a donation. Submissions are now open until 1st September 2026. We are a small charitable organisation and rely…
…on your support to make the Prize a viable ongoing concern. We aim to reach our target of £20,000 by the end of 2026. Every donation, no matter how small, makes a difference. The Barbellion Prize celebrates and promotes writing that represents the experience of chronic illness and disability…
Meet the judges of the 2026 Barbellion Prize! Read about Letty McHugh, Penny Pepper & David Bolt in this thread. The Barbellion Prize is now open for submissions of fiction and non-fiction which celebrate and promote writing that represents the experience of chronic illness and disability.
Alt-text for main image: Collage picture of the three 2026 Barbellion Prize judges. David Bolt is standing next to a large CCDS poster, wearing a grey shirt. Letty has a pink shirt, as does Penny, who is also holding a book.
…He is Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Literary and Cultural Disability Studies and the Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Disability Studies. David is Book Series Editor of Routledge's Autocritical Disability Studies and Joint Editor of…
…Springer's Literary Disability Studies and Bloomsbury's A Cultural History of Disability. He is also author and editor of a range of academic books. Full details about The Barbellion Prize here: barbellionprize.org
The Barbellion Prize | A prize recognising literary representation of chronically disabled lives.
The Barbellion Prize celebrates and promotes writing that represents the experience of chronic illness and disability. The prize is named after the diarist W.N.P. Barbellion, who wrote eloquently on his life with multiple sclerosis (MS). It is a cross-genre award for literature published in the English language. Information about eligibility can be found in the Terms and Conditions section of our site.
barbellionprize.org
The Barbellion Prize PAST WINNERS! 🏆🏆🏆 2020: Riva Lehrer Golem Girl: A Memoir (One World/Virago Press) 2021: What Willow Says @lynnbuckle.bsky.social (@epoquepress.bsky.social) 2022: @lettymchugh.bsky.social Book of Hours: An Almanac for The Seasons of The Soul (Self-published w/support from DAO)
Meet the judges of the 2026 Barbellion Prize! Read about Letty McHugh, Penny Pepper & David Bolt in this thread. The Barbellion Prize is now open for submissions of fiction and non-fiction which celebrate and promote writing that represents the experience of chronic illness and disability.