Society of Authors



The Society of Authors (UK) is a trade union for professional writers that was founded in 1884 to protect the rights of writers and fight to retain those rights (with particular attention to copyright protection and, later, the establishment of Public Lending Right).

It has counted amongst its members and presidents numerous notable writers and poets including Tennyson (first president),  George Bernard Shaw, John Galsworthy,  John Edward Masefield,   Thomas Hardy, H. G. Wells, J. M. Barrie and E. M. Forster.

Bernard Shaw was an early member who took a prominent part in action and discussions, founding the League of Dramatists in 1931 as part of the Society. The Authors' Lending and Copyright Society was also formed after much action by the Society.

Its youngest member is Edward Pinnegar, who published his first book in 2010, whilst aged 14.

In 1958 the Translators Association (TA) was established as a specialist group within the Society of Authors.

Prizes for fiction and non fiction include:
 * The Betty Trask Award;
 * The Cholmondeley Awards;
 * The Elizabeth Longford Prize;
 * The Encore Award;
 * The Eric Gregory Awards;
 * The McKitterick Prize;
 * The Olive Cook Award;
 * The Richard Imison Award;
 * The Sagittarius Prize (for first novellists over the age of 60)
 * The Somerset Maugham Awards
 * The Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year Award;
 * The Tom-Gallon Award;
 * The Travelling Scholarships.

The Society also administers a number of literary translation prizes, including:


 * Scott Moncrieff Prize for French Translation
 * Hellenic Foundation for Culture Award for Greek Translation (triennial)
 * Schlegel-Tieck Prize for German Translation
 * Bernard Shaw Prize for Swedish Translation (triennial)
 * Vondel Prize for Dutch Translation (biennial)
 * Calouste Gulbenkian Prize for Portuguese Translation (triennial)
 * Premio Valle Inclan for Spanish Translation
 * John Florio Prize for Italian Translation (biennial)
 * Banipal Prize for Arabic Literary Translation (annual)