Pictured from left: Namita Gokhale, Daniel G. Williams, Mary Jean Chan, Max Liu, Jan Carson
The judging panel for this year’s edition of the world’s largest and most prestigious literary prize for young writers – the Swansea University Dylan Thomas Prize – is shared today, ahead of the longlist announcement on Thursday 23 January.
The shortlist will be unveiled on Thursday 20 March, followed by a shortlist celebration event at the British Library on International Dylan Thomas Day (14 May), with the winner revealed at a ceremony in Swansea on the following evening, Thursday 15 May 2025.
The 2025 Judging Panel will be chaired by Namita Gokhale, the multi-award winning Indian writer of more than twenty five works of fiction and non-fiction (Paro: Dreams of Passion, Things to Leave Behind) as well as being the co-director of the famed Jaipur Literature Festival.
Also joining the judging panel for 2025 are:
- Professor Daniel Williams, Director of the Richard Burton Centre for the Study of Wales and Co-Director of the Centre for Research into the English Literature and Language of Wales at Swansea University
- Jan Carson, award winning novelist and writer (The Fire Starters, The Raptures)
- Mary Jean Chan, Costa Book Award winning author and former Swansea University Dylan Thomas Prize shortlistee (Flèche, Bright Fear)
- Max Liu, literary critic and contributor to the Financial Times, the i and BBC Radio 4
Worth £20,000, this global accolade recognises exceptional literary talent aged 39 or under, celebrating the international world of fiction in all its forms including poetry, novels, short stories and drama.
The prize is named after the Swansea-born writer Dylan Thomas and celebrates his 39 years of creativity and productivity. The prize invokes his memory to support the writers of today, nurture the talents of tomorrow, and celebrate international literary excellence.
Previous winners include Arinze Ifeakandu, Patricia Lockwood, Max Porter, Raven Leilani, Bryan Washington, Guy Gunaratne, and Kayo Chingonyi, with last year's prize awarded to Caleb Azumah Nelson for his novel Small Worlds.