The Betty Trask Prize and Awards are for first novels written by authors under the age of 35 who reside in a current or former Commonwealth nation.
Each year the awards total at least £20,000, with normally one author receiving a larger prize amount (£10,000 in very recent years), called the "Prize", and the remainder given to other writers, called the "Awards".
[1] These were established in 1984 by the Society of Authors at the bequest of the late Betty Trask, a reclusive author of over thirty romance novels.
[2] They're given to traditional or romantic novels, rather than those of an experimental style, and either published or unpublished works.
[3] Since 2009, the Betty Trask Prize has been given to a single author; the remaining receive the Betty Trask Award.