Plaza Prizes Writing Awards Scandal: Winners and Judges Unpaid Amid AI Accusations
A prestigious writing competition that promised a £20,000 prize fund has seemingly collapsed, leaving winners and judges, including a Booker Prize-winning novelist, out of pocket and facing unsubstantiated AI accusations. The Plaza Prizes, established in 2022, offered ten awards judged by renowned poets and writers, but the website became inaccessible this week, signaling potential closure.
Judges Unpaid and Label Competition a 'Scam'
Damon Galgut, the 2021 Booker Prize winner for his novel The Promise, described the Plaza Prizes as a 'scam' after he was not paid £1,500 for judging the fiction section. Galgut agreed to participate, believing such competitions support emerging writers, but when he and his agent attempted to contact founder Simon Kerr for payment, they received no response. Kerr eventually claimed Galgut had not invoiced properly and promised payment within 60 days, but Galgut dismissed this, stating Kerr 'disappeared without a trace the moment payment was mentioned.'
Anthony Joseph, winner of the 2022 TS Eliot poetry prize, also reports not being paid £1,250 for judging the audio poetry prize. After invoicing Kerr in September with no reply, Joseph took the case to small claims court. Kerr responded by alleging Joseph's work was late and incomplete, and that his emails were 'coercive and threatening,' causing reputational damage. Joseph attributed the delay to a car accident and denied the claims about his emails.
Winners Disqualified Over AI Allegations
Several winners had their entries withdrawn after being accused of using AI to create their work, allegations they strongly deny. Peter Doolan, winner of the audio poetry prize, was disqualified because his entry was 'flagged by AI content detectors.' Doolan called the accusation 'absolutely nonsense,' noting his poem was originally published in 2018. Another anonymous winner received an identical email and 'vigorously denies' any AI use, stating they are unable to use the technology. Both writers were not given a chance to prove their work's originality.
History of Issues and Funding Struggles
Simon Kerr, the founder, previously ran another writing award that faced complaints over late payments. According to the now-inaccessible Plaza Prizes website, Kerr received grants from the Society of Authors and the Royal Society of Literature, which helped save his house from repossession after he lost his job during the pandemic. He claimed to have invested the capital from the subsequent house sale into the prizes, expressing gratitude to the writing community for saving him from 'homelessness, destitution, and, likely, suicide.'
A planned awards ceremony in the Dordogne, France, last October was cancelled, with the website citing a millionaire fantasy writer's withdrawal of support due to entry quality. A linked short story writing course was also cancelled due to lack of donations, and Kerr appealed for funding to publish a planned anthology.
Past Controversies and Lack of Response
In 2014, the Guardian reported that a writing competition run by Kerr had not paid a prize to a winner, with the awards ceremony cancelled. The money was paid shortly after the Guardian contacted the University of Hull, where Kerr worked at the time. Kerr, whose website listed an address in Islington, north London, did not respond to recent queries from the Guardian regarding the Plaza Prizes, leaving many questions unanswered about the competition's future and the fate of its participants.
