The Ruth Hadden Memorial Award is a former award for the best first novel published in Britain, which was administered by the Booktrust. It was awarded in the early 1990s and has now been discontinued. The award was unusual in that the prize was awarded to a completed manuscript before acceptance by a publisher, and the prize money (in 1994, £2000) went to the publishers of the novel to spend on promoting it.Louisa Young (28 August 1994). Love thy neighbour; Books. ''

The Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British Sunday newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of N ...

'', p. 8David Robson (8 November 1992). Politics, prickles and perversity. David Robson considers a political Julian Barnes and other new fiction. ''

The Sunday Telegraph ''The Sunday Telegraph'' is a British broadsheet newspaper, first published on 5 February 1961 and published by the Telegraph Media Group, a division of Press Holdings. It is the sister paper of ''The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Tele ...

'', p. 80

Winners

*1991: ''The Last Room'', by

Elean Thomas Elean Roslyn Thomas (18 September 1947 – 27 May 2004) Buzz Johnson"Elean Thomas: Writer with a message of human rights" ''The Guardian'', 31 July 2004. was a Jamaican poet, novelist, journalist and activist. She was active in the struggle for ...

*1992: ''Leaving the Light On'', by

Catherine Merriman Catherine A. Merriman (born 1949) is a British novelist, short-story writer and editor who has published five novels and three short-story collections. Her work often addresses the experiences of women. Her first novel, ''Leaving the Light On'' ( ...

*1993: ''

In the Place of Fallen Leaves ''In the Place of Fallen Leaves'' is Tim Pears's debut novel, published in 1993. It won the Ruth Hadden Memorial Award in 1993 and the Hawthornden Prize in 1994. Inspiration On his website, Tim Pears reveals that the novel is set in the Devon ...

'', by

Tim Pears Tim Pears (born 15 November 1956) is an English novelist. His novels explore social issues as they are processed through the dynamics of family relationships. Biography Although born in Tunbridge Wells in Kent, Tim Pears grew up in the villag ...

*1994: ''

Pig The pig (''Sus domesticus''), also called swine (: swine) or hog, is an omnivorous, domesticated, even-toed, hoofed mammal. It is named the domestic pig when distinguishing it from other members of the genus '' Sus''. Some authorities cons ...

'', by

Andrew Cowan Andrew Cowan (13 December 1936 – 15 October 2019) was a Scottish rally driver, and the founder and senior director of Mitsubishi Ralliart until his retirement on 30 November 2005. Early years Cowan was raised in Duns, a small town in the ...

References

British literary awards First book awards Awards established in 1991 Awards disestablished in 1994 1991 establishments in the United Kingdom 1994 disestablishments in the United Kingdom {{lit-award-stub