Half of the Polari Book Prize’s longlist have withdrawn in protest of John Boyne’s nomination.
The Polari Prize, one of the UK’s premiere awards celebrating LGBTQ+ writing, has sparked controversy by including John Boyne’s Earth as a contender for their annual Book Prize. In protest, at least half of the other longlisted authors and a number of judges have withdrawn themselves from contention.
For years, Boyne has made himself unpopular over his comments about the trans community. Most egregiously, he published an article in the Irish Independent this year wishing J.K. Rowling a happy birthday, saying “as a fellow Terf, I stand four-square behind her.”
Much of the anger from the trans community was in response to his 2019 book about a young boy and his trans sibling. His defensive response to critiques of the book angered more people, which led him to leave Twitter altogether. And as if that wasn’t enough, Boyne also picked a fight with the Auschwitz Memorial Museum online, which is never a good look.
Big hat tip to Jay Hulme, who has been tracking the Polari withdrawals on Bluesky. As of this morning, 12 authors and two judges have removed themselves from consideration for the Polari:
Update: 12 of 24 authors have withdrawn from the Polari PrizeFirst Book:Curtis Garner, Jason Okundaye, Sacha Coward, Sanah Ahsan, Amy Twigg, Mae Diansangu, Ciara Maguire, June ThomasMain award:Olumide Popoola, Robert Hamberger, Andrew McMillan, Rhian ElizabethJudges: Nicola Dinan, Bob Hughes
— Jay Hulme (@jayhulmepoet.bsky.social) 2025-08-11T13:09:01.941Z
Jason Okundaye, one of the authors who pulled out, posted that the decision wasn’t difficult, and that “it has become a collective solidarity action and either being shortlisted or winning at this point is meaningless.” A few who have decided to stay in the running have issued statements articulating why, and also expressing solidarity with the trans community.
The Polari Prize doesn’t seem to be backing down. They’ve promised to “review” their process, but issued a statement on Instagram defending the inclusion of Earth:
I’m glad to see so many withdrawing in solidarity, and I have a lot of sympathy for all the authors who were put in a terrible position by Polari. Winning an award, even being included as a nominee, is a major career milestone for any writer. It’s a shame that the Prize is making authors choose between career and community.
