There was disappointment in the Rhondda Cynon Taf National Eisteddfod Pavilion today, with the announcement that none of the five attempts in the Daniel Owen Memorial Prize competition had reached the necessary high standard, with no one winning this important competition this year
The task was to create an unpublished novel with a strong narrative thread, of no less than 50,000 words, with the Daniel Owen Memorial Medal and £5,000 as a prize. The judges were Jerry Hunter, Catrin Beard and Marlyn Samuel.
Jerry Hunter had the unpleasant task of announcing that there was no winner this year, and in his written adjudication in the ‘Cyfansoddiadau a Beirniadaethau’, he said, "I know that the face that we feel that we cannot award the prize this year is disappointing for Welsh fiction readers, but let no one be discouraged.
"It seems that this competition often attracts aspiring novelists rather than experienced ones, and although past winners have managed to create a successful first novel, it’s unrealistic to expect this to happen every year.
"Instead of complaining that this competition that there’s no winner this year, why not go to a bookshop on the Maes – or to your local bookshop - and buy a Welsh novel that you haven’t read. There’s plenty of choice and we should be proud and grateful that we have so much choice.”
Although disappointed, Catrin Beard had a word of support for this year’s entrants. She said, “If our main literary festival wants to honour a novel with a generous monetary prize, then it’s only fair that expectations are high. And with so many fine novels published every year, expectations are even higher.
"Writing a novel is no small feat, and as one who has several 'Chapter Ones' in the drawer, I can only admire the perseverance and tenacity of those who complete the task. But there’s more to writing a novel than the first draft, and with the expectation that the winning ‘Daniel’ volume will be in the shops within a few months of the adjudication, as judges, it was our hope to receive novels that were almost ‘ready to go’.
"Therefore, we were disappointed to receive a pile of works in progress. Yes, there’s promise, originality, entertainment and examples of magnificent writing, but none of the volumes are close to being ready for publication.
"We need to be patient - if the authors who submitted their work refine and work on their drafts, there’s a real hope that some, if not all, will be ready for publication and will become worthy novels given time. I look forward to reading them again then.”
Marlyn Samuel was also disappointed that there was no clear winner this year. She said, “I was looking forward to reading interesting and entertaining stories: novels that would capture my imagination and hold my interest with fascinating and believable characters.
Unfortunately, I was disappointed when I read them. There were a few interesting ideas but, without exception, all five entries were first drafts. For a competition like this, one expects novels that are more or less ready for publication.
"There is great anticipation every year for the winning ‘Daniel' of course. I know that it’s disappointing for readers and booksellers that we have no winner this year. However, the three of us were in complete agreement that the prize must be suspended in order to maintain the standard and reputation of the competition."
The ‘Cyfansoddiadau a Beirniadaethau’ includes the full adjudication for this competition and the winners of all the other composition winners at this year’s Eisteddfod. The volume is published at the end of the Chairing Ceremony on Friday afternoon.
The Rhondda Cynon Taf National Eisteddfod is held in Ynysangharad Park, Pontypridd until 10 August. For more information go to www.eisteddfod.wales.