The Guildford Arts Book Prize has been awarded annually for the best first novel by an author living anywhere in the UK, and announced at the Guildford Book Festival. Between 1998 and 2005 it was sponsored by Pendleton May and known as the Pendleton May First Novel Award, in 2006 by Goss & Co., and in 2007 by Jelf Group PLC, which had supported the award since its inception.
The winners have been :
1997 : Jeremy Poolman for Interesting Facts about the State of Arizona1998 : Steve Lundin for This River AwakensPendleton May First Novel Award :1999 : ?2000 : ?2001 : Shamim Sarif for The World Unseen2002 : Hari Kunzru for The Impressionist2003 : Babs Horton for A Jarful Of Angels2004 : Panos Karnezis for The Maze2005 : Clare Clark for The Great StinkGoss First Novel Award :2006 : Mike Stocks for White Man FallingJelf Group First Novel Award :Catherine O'Flynn for What Was LostFirst Novel Award2008 Ross Raisin for God's Own Country2009 award in abeyance