Michel Déon Prize
The Michel Déon Prize was founded in 2018 in memory of the French writer Michel Déon (1919-2016) who made the West of Ireland his home. It is a joint prize awarded in alternate years by the Royal Irish Academy in Ireland (funded by the Department of Foreign Affairs) and the Académie française in France. The winning author receives a prize of €10,000 and the honour of visiting France or Ireland respectively to deliver the Michel Déon Lecture the following year.
The Royal Irish Academy will award the 2024 Michel Déon Prize to the author of the book that the judging panel consider to be the best work of non-fiction published between 12 April 2022 and 8 April 2024 in the eligible categories. Nominations for the 2024 prize are now closed. In selecting the winner, the judging panel will be looking for: originality; quality of writing and contribution to knowledge and/or public debate.
The purpose of the prize is:
- To honour the life of Michel Déon (1919-2016) by continuing his work in supporting and championing writing talent
- To sustain the legacy of Michel Déon in celebrating the richness and diversity of cultural experience in Europe
Eligible non-fiction books:
Eligible non-fiction books that have been published in any of the following categories: autobiography, biography, cultural studies, history, literary studies, philosophy, and travel.
Authors of any nationality normally resident on the island of Ireland at the time of nomination are eligible. The book must be by a single-author and in the English or Irish languages.
The following categories of book are not eligible: RIA Publications; self-published books; practical manuals; guides and children’s books.