About the Winston Graham Historical Prize

 

The annual prize is the result of a generous donation in the legacy of Winston Graham, who enjoyed visiting and writing in the museum during his working life. He researched many of his books in The Courtney Library, and the museum is charged with seeking out new voices in the genre which gave us the Cornwall-based Poldark series. The winner of the prize each year receives a cheque for £3,000.

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Prestigious prize for historical novels opens for 2027 entries

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The organisers of one of the UK’s most celebrated historical fiction prizes have announced that submissions are now being invited for the 2027 award. The 

Cornwall Museum and Art Gallery, which runs the Winston Graham Historical Prize, is inviting publishers to submit hopefuls for the shortlist; the deadline for entries is 10th October 2026.

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To enter, novels must have been published in the UK between 30 September 2025 and 30 September 2026, and set at least sixty years ago in the UK and Ireland. The prize is unique in the UK in that the shortlist is chosen by a large community of avid readers - most of whom are based in Cornwall - who whittle down the entries for the judging panel, making the selection process more democratic than most.​ A strong sense of place is the golden thread readers and judges are seeking, as Chair of the Judges Charlotte Hobson explains:​ “Winston Graham, who the prize is in memory of, conjured up a sense of Cornwall which resonates with readers across the world right to the present day. It’s that kind of transportive literary magic that we’re looking for – one that can pick you up and put you back down in another time, another place.”

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Benjamin Wood - who described himself as “delighted” and “honoured” to win the Winston Graham Historical Prize in 2026 with his bookSeascraper concurred, saying: “More and more, I’ve come to understand that the atmosphere of a story’s setting is the thing which most informs and motivates my process as a fiction writer.”

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The shortlist will be announced in January, with the eventual winner revealed at a ceremony at the museum in March 2027.

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Bryony Robins, Co-Director of Cornwall Museum and Art Gallery, spoke of the eager anticipation surrounding the 2027 prize:​ “We’ve had some outstanding winners of the Winston Graham Historical Prize in recent years, championing the power of human storytelling and the boundless limits of imagination. Cornwall is such an inspiring place for all artists, so it’s very fitting that Cornwall - and the museum that holds its historical collections - is the home of this literary prize. We’re all looking forward to getting stuck into the 2027 shortlist over the winter.”

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Submission form - https://forms.gle/DpvqMWbqEvoQqMhbA