he Benjamin Franklin House Literary Prize

Benjamin Franklin is one of history’s great figures. While he made lasting contributions in many fields, his first passion was writing. He believed in the power of the written word as the bedrock of a democratic society, to inform, and stimulate debate .

Each year a question or quote exploring Franklin’s relevance in our time is open for interpretation in 1000-1500 words. The competition is exclusively for young writers, aged 18-25, with a first prize of £750, and a second prize of £500. Winning entries will be posted here and also published online by media partner, The Telegraph.

The Benjamin Franklin House Literary Prize is endowed by Benjamin Franklin House Chairman John Studzinski, a leading executive and philanthropist.

Literary Prize Judges

Marcia Balisciano, Director of Benjamin Franklin House
Lord Guy Black, Executive Director of the Telegraph Media Group
David Hawkins, Committee Chair of Benjamin Franklin House
Lady Joan Reid, Former Board Member of Benjamin Franklin House
Rory Sutherland, Board Member of Benjamin Franklin House
Andrea Wulf, author of 'The Founding Gardeners' 2011

2013 Literary Prize

The 2013 Franklin quote is: “Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that is the stuff life is made of.”  Entrants should interpret this quote for its significance today.

Eligibility

*Entrants must be aged 18-25 years
*Entrants must provide their name, email, postal address, telephone number, age and place of study (if applicable; if they are not currently in education, they should provide a biographical note explaining their current activities)
*Entrants may submit only one entry; fiction or non-fiction accepted
*Entries of 1000-1500 words must be sent by 31 October 2013 to info@benjaminfranklinhouse.org 

Read the press release here 

2012 Literary Prize Winners!

The Franklin quote for the 2012 prize was “If you would persuade you must appeal to interest rather than intellect.” The winning entry was written by Daniel Marc Janes, currently working as a researcher for the BBC.  Second place was awarded to Harvey Daniell, a student from the London School of Economics.

The Literary Prize reception, celebrating the winning entries, was held at Benjamin Franklin House in January 2013.

House Chairman John Studzinski presents the first prize to 2012 winner Daniel Marc Janes

Harvey Daniell is recognised for his second prize win

Read about the 2008-2011 Literary Prize Winners