Gorsedh Kernow has announced the winners of the annual Holyer an Gof competition at a prestigious Awards ceremony held on Tuesday 11th July, hosted by Waterstones of Truro with special guest mc Edward Rowe, Mab Tregarrek fronting the 21st year of these popular Awards.
Established and organised by Gorsedh Kernow to raise the standard and profile of publishing in Cornwall, this year’s winners were once again chosen from the best, recently published books about Cornwall or in Cornish.
“Although the number of entries is slightly down again this year, probably because books are now entered in one class rather than multiple classes, the quality of writing, illustrating and publishing, especially in the young adults category, is better than ever,” said Holyer an Gof co-organiser Rael Harvey, Myrgh Mydroilyn “and our wonderful panel of readers, drawn from the Gorsedh Kernow College of Bards and others with expertise and knowledge of their particular subject, have once again done a great job.”
Holyer an Gof has become a model for Cornish awards and Gorsedh Kernow continues to encourage new publications about Cornwall and the Cornish language.
“We are so pleased to win this Award,” said Craig Green, winning author of ‘A Christmas in Cornwall’ in the children’s books class and published by Mabecron Books.
Bardh Meur with Ron Johns (Publisher) and Craig Green (Author)
“We put so much love into this because we wanted the perfect Christmas book for children and we also applaud Gorsedh Kernow and the Holyer an Gof Awards for championing Cornish language books,” said Craig.
Winners in class and also the Holyer an Gof Trophy, David and Stuart Thorn, were delighted with their win, saying that family were central to their success.
Bardh Meur with Stuart and David Thorn
“Our relatives are the real stars of this book,” said David Thorn accepting the Award alongside his cousin Stuart Thorn, “I don’t think anyone had ever taken photographs in Bude before!”
“We are very proud of the Holyer an Gof competition and we are very grateful to Waterstones in Truro who very kindly host our Awards evening each year and to Kresen Kernow Cornish Studies Library in Redruth who provide administrative help and meeting space for our reader reviewers,” said Grand Bard of Cornwall Merv Davey, Telynyor an Weryn, who presented certificates and cups to the winners on the night.
The winners of the 2017 Gorsedh Kernow Holyer an Gof Awards are:
1.0 – Cornish language books for teaching
A Learners’ Cornish Dictionary in the Standard Written Form, edited by Steve Harris, published by Ors Sempel & An Kylgh Kernewek.
1.1 – Cornish language books for children
There were no entries in this class.
1.2 – Cornish language books for adults
Tenkys by Rod Lyon, published by Kesva an Taves Kernewek.
Winner of the Kowethas an Yeth Cup for authorship or translation from Class 1
Tenkys by Rod Lyon, published by Kesva an Taves Kernewek.
Classes 2.0 & 2.1 – Books for children of primary age and books for young adults
A Christmas in Cornwall by Craig Green and Oliver Hurst, published by Mabecron Books.
Winner of the Gorsedh Kernow Ann Trevenen Jenkin Cup
The Little Red Egg by Judy Scrimshaw, published by Granny Moff Books.
Class 3 – Adult Fiction
Broken Dove by L A Kent, published by WillowOrchard Publishing.
Combined Classes 4 – Poetry and 4.1 – Drama
There were no nominations in this class.
Class 5 – Non Fiction – History, Language and Creative Arts
Cornwall’s First Golden Age by Bernard Deacon, published by Francis Boutle Publishers.
Combined Classes 5.1 – Non Fiction – Marine, Industrial Heritage and Environment and Class 5.2 – Non Fiction in which illustrations predominate
Tommy Morrissey : Fisherman Painter by Gill Scott, published by Spur Valerian Press.
Class 6 – Booklets
Changing Places : Porthcurno and the Roots of Modern Communication by Steve Bladon, Rosalyn Goulding and others, published by PK Trust.
The winner of the Literary Salver, chosen by members of the Cornish Literary Guild, was Scryfer : Robert Victor Walling 1895-1976 – Bard and Journalist by Ann Trevenen Jenkin and Stephen Gadd, published by Gorsedh Kernow and Kesva an Taves Kernewek.
The Holyer an Gof Trophy, for the most outstanding entry in the whole competition, was awarded to Thorn’s of Bude by David Thorn and Stuart Thorn, published by Halsgrove.
End of Press Release
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The Holyer an Gof Publishers’ Awards are promoted annually by Gorsedh Kernow for publications relating to Cornwall or the Cornish Language and were launched in 1996 in memory of Redruth Publisher and Bard of the Cornish Gorsedh, Leonard Truran, whose bardic name was Holyer an Gof – Follower of The Smith.
The awards were established and organised by members of Gorsedh Kernow to raise the standard and profile of publishing in Cornwall.
The panel of reader reviewers mainly comprises members of the Gorsedh Kernow College of Bards and others with particular expertise.
Details of all the entries for 2017 can be found on the Holyer an Gof website www.holyerangofawards.org.uk
For photos of 2017 book covers see http://www.holyerangofawards.org.uk/publications_nominated_2017.html
The Holyer an Gof Trophy, presented by the late Joan Truran, is perpetual and awarded for the most outstanding entry in the whole competition.
In addition to the Holyer an Gof Trophy, the Cornish Literary Guild presented a second perpetual award, The Literary Salver, to an author of their choice. Nominations for this award are made by the panel of readers and a winner is chosen by members of the Cornish Literary Guild.
Winning entries in each category were announced and prizes awarded at a special Presentation evening on Tuesday 11th July at Waterstones in Truro, with each category winner receiving a certificate from Gorsedh Kernow. The winner of the Holyer an Gof Trophy also received a £100 donation to the Cornish charity of their choice.
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