MICHAEL AMHERST - WINNER OF THE 2020
HUBERT BUTLER ESSAY PRIZE

"I am so grateful to the judges of the Hubert Butler Essay Prize for selecting my essay. The essay form is one that tries to reach an understanding, with a recognition that the attempt will be incomplete and imperfect - as mine is! However, that conditionality feels important right now in a climate so given to assertion. I am also grateful to the prize for introducing me to the work of Hubert Butler. His humanity and a commitment to nuance is evident throughout his work. At a time when liberal values feel under threat, his championing of individual freedom, wedded to a common good, resonated with me and feel especially urgent. Finally, thank you very much to the organisers for providing both this recognition of the essay form and this opportunity for writers." - Michael Amherst

Michael Amherst is the author of Go the Way Your Blood Beats, a meditation on truth and desire, for which he received an award from Arts Council England and won the 2019 Stonewall Israel Fishman Award for Nonfiction. His short fiction has appeared in publications including The White Review and Contrappasso and been longlisted for BBC Opening Lines and Bath Short Story Prize, and shortlisted for the Bridport Prize. He is currently working on a novel and is a member of Writing West Midlands’ Room 204 scheme.

TARA McEVOY - SECOND PRIZE

Tara McEvoy recently completed a PhD in English Literature at Queen's University Belfast, and edits the Belfast-based magazine of new writing The Tangerine. Her writing has appeared in Vogue, The Guardian, The Observer, The Irish Times, and The Stinging Fly, and is forthcoming in The Times Literary Supplement.

DAVID R. CRANE - THIRD PRIZE

David R. Crane is a researcher working in the international development sector, having recently completed his MSc in Development Studies at the London School of Economics and Political Science. Before this, David obtained an MA in Economics from the University of Edinburgh. His main research interests are African economic and political history, conflict, and forced migration.