Awards 2023
The Trustees of the André Simon Memorial Fund are delighted to announce that they will make awards to the winning authors of new works published in 2023. There are two categories:FOOD
WINE, DRINKS and BEVERAGES
For the winner of each category there will be an award of £2000. In addition there will be an award of £1500 in honour of John Avery and the Special Commendation Award of £1500 - both of these are at the discretion of the judges.
The main criteria against which the works are judged are:
- The work shall contain a substantial proportion of original research and not simply be a re-arrangement of existing material.
- Great importance will be attached to the educational value of the work.
- The books chosen are likely to be ones that are pleasurable to read and not just professional text books.
- The book should be well produced.
The Special Commendation will be awarded to one of the short-listed books in either the food or drink category. The book may be on a specific subject considered too specialised for the main award. It may also be a book with a limited life such as a guide or similar book. The John Avery Award is in the gift of the trustees.
When judging the books the Trustees have the help and advice of two independent assessors. In 2023 Azma Kahn has kindly agreed to assess the food books and Dave Broom will assess the drink books.
Judging will be in the hands of the Trustees. The Trustees' decision will be final and no correspondence will be entered into.
Authors/Publishers who wish to submit a book for consideration should forward a copy to the Chairman, to each of the Trustees, to the Secretary of the Fund, and to the Assessor for the category in which the book is entered. All the names and addresses for the books will be forwarded on request to Katie Lander katie@andresimon.co.uk. An entry form should be completed for each book and sent to Katie either with the book or via email.
It is requested that a copy of each short-listed book is donated to the André Simon Library at the Guildhall.
Closing date for submissions is, 26 November 2023. In order to give the Trustees and Assessors time to assess the books properly it is requested that the books are submitted as early as practical and, if possible, well before the closing date.
The long list will be announced in early December 2023 followed by a short list at the end of January 2024. The awards will be presented toward the end of March 2024.
This year's food assessor Asma Kahn.
Image courtesy of Ursula Soltys
This year's Drinks assessor Dave Broom.
Image courtesy of Grant Anderson
