UEA writers Sam Byers and DW (Dave) Wilson have been longlisted for the Desmond Elliott Prize for debut novelists, which is worth £10,000 to the winner. Sam (pictured) graduated from the MA in Creative Writing (Prose Fiction) in 2003 and completed his PhD in Creative and Critical Writing in 2014. He is nominated for ‘Idiopathy’, which is published by Fourth Estate and was shortlisted for the Costa First Novel Award last year. Dave was the winner of UEA’s inaugural Booker Foundation Scholarship in 2009, graduated from the MA in Creative Writing (Prose Fiction) in 2010, and is currently completing his PhD in Creative and Critical Writing. He was the winner of the BBC National Short Story Award in 2011 and published his debut collection, ‘Once You Break a Knuckle’, that year. He is nominated for his novel ‘Ballistics’, which is published by Bloomsbury. The Desmond Elliott Prize was won by UEA alumni Edward Hogan and Anjali Joseph in 2009 and 2011 respectively. Joe Dunthorne and Adam Foulds were shortlisted in 2008. This year’s shortlist will be announced on 26th May, and the prize awarded on 3rd July.
Sam Byers and DW Wilson longlisted for Desmond Elliott Prize
