[3] The drama prize was paused after the 2019 award, during the COVID-19 pandemic, and as of March 2024[update] the university states that "submissions may re-open in January 2025".

[5] The winners are chosen by the Professor of English Literature at the university, who is assisted by postgraduate students in the shortlisting phase, a structure that is seen to lend the prizes considerable gravitas.

[3][8] The university is advised in relation to the development and administration of the Prize by a small committee which includes Ian Rankin, Alexander McCall Smith and James Naughtie amongst its members.

[37][38] The award celebrated the fiction winners over the past 93 years, as part of the 250th anniversary of the study of English Literature at the university.

A judging panel of celebrity alumni and writers decided on the winner, which was announced on 6 December 2012 as Angela Carter's Nights at the Circus.