The Hawthornden Prize is a British literary award that was established in 1919 by Alice Warrender. It is funded by a trust established by her. Authors under the age of 41 are awarded on the quality of their "imaginative literature" which can be written in either poetry or prose. The Hawthornden Committee awards the Prize annually for a work published in the previous twelve months. There have been several gap years without a recipient (1984–87, 1971–73, 1966, 1959, 1945–57).
Unlike other major literary awards, the Hawthornden does not solicit submissions. It is also catholic in its coverage of the literary, welcoming fiction, travel writing, artistic and historical works.
Monetarily, the Hawthornden Prize is modest: it offered £100 in 1936, and in 1995 was worth £2000.