Organisers cancel book prize over trans controversy
Organisers have cancelled an annual literary prize created to promote LGBTQ+ writing, following a row about comments by one of the nominated authors.
John Boyne, best known for writing The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, was longlisted for the Polari Prize earlier this month for his latest novel Earth.
However, some other nominated authors asked to be removed from the longlist, objecting to an article Boyne wrote defending JK Rowling's stance on trans issues and women's rights. More than 800 figures in the publishing industry also signed an open letter criticising his nomination.
The Polari Prize's organisers have now said it would not be awarded this year but they hoped it would return in 2026.
In a statement published before the prize was scrapped, Boyne said his "views on trans rights have never changed" and he had faced "endless harassment at the hands of both strangers and fellow writers".
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