The James Tait Black Prizes
The James Tait Black Prizes logo

About the awards

The James Tait Black Prizes, established in 1919, are Britain's longest running literary awards. In 2013 a prize for drama was introduced.

Book prizes

Student reading book
The James Tait Black Prizes recognise the best fiction and biography books of the year.

Drama prize

Ricky Champ as Josef the Fool (left) and Ony Uhiara as Lizaveta in Cannibals.
The James Tait Black Prize for Drama celebrates innovative drama produced worldwide.

Janet Coats Black prize

Janet Coats Black Prize Winner Julie Galante and Dr Lucinda Byatt
To mark the centenary of the prizes in 2019, and to honour the founder, the University presented an additional prize – a creative writing award for short story writing.

The legacy of Janet Coats Black

Janet Coats Black and Family
The James Tait Black Prizes originate from the charitable legacy of Janet Coats Black. Her bequest launched what have become the UK’s longest running book prizes, awarded in the name of her husband.

The Prizes in a nutshell

Book Festival
The James Tait Black backlist of winners reads like a selective history of good writing.