Winners and judges out of pocket as £20,000 writing awards appear to have closed

"Plaza Prizes Scandal Rocks Literary World: Judges and Winners Left Out of Pocket A prestigious UK-based writing competition has been embroiled in a controversy after allegations emerged that judges were not paid for their work, despite the event's organizers boasting a £20,000 prize fund. The Plaza Prizes, which launched in 2022, had attracted high-profile judges, including a Booker Prize-winning novelist, to select winners from a pool of talented new writers. However, it appears that the competition has now effectively shut down, leaving both judges and winners facing financial losses. As the literary community grapples with the fallout, some winners have hit back at accusations that they had used artificial intelligence to write their winning entries, adding another layer of complexity to this developing story."

The Plaza Prizes offered 10 awards in 2025 but some judges say they were not paid, while a number of winners hit back over AI accusationsA competition for new writers that promised a £20,000 prize fund appears to have shut down, leaving winners and judges, including a Booker prize-winning novelist, out of pocket.Established in 2022, the Plaza Prizes last year offered 10 awards that were judged by the “finest poets and writers in the world”. Continue reading...