Dylan Thomas Prize celebrates 20 years of young talent as 2025 winner is announced

The Swansea University Dylan Thomas Prize marks twenty years of celebrating young writers this year as the 2025 award is won by Palestinian author Yasmin Zaher

The year 2025 marks two decades of celebrating outstanding young talent with the Swansea University Dylan Thomas Prize, and the accolade has now gone to Palestinian author Yasmin Zaher for her debut novel, The Coin.

The book, which follows a young Palestinian woman named Dima who travels to Beirut to care for her dying grandmother, has been praised by judges for its incisive examination of themes such as identity, heritage, and belonging.

It was selected by a panel of literary figures from twelve shortlisted entries, also including Rapture’s Road by Seán Hewitt (published by Carcanet), Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon (published by Faber & Faber), The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden (published by New Island), I Will Crash by Rebecca Watson (published by Penguin) and Moderate to Poor, Occasionally Good by Eley Williams (published by Harvill Secker).

Announcing the winner at an event in Swansea on Thursday 15 May, Chair of Judges Namita Gokhale said: “Whittling our exceptional longlist of twelve down to six brilliant books, and then again to just one, was not an easy exercise – yet the judging panel was unanimous in their decision to name debut novelist Yasmin Zaher as the winner of the 2025 Swansea University Dylan Thomas Prize.

“Zaher brings complexity and intensity to the page through her elegantly concise writing: The Coin is a borderless novel, tackling trauma and grief with bold and poetic moments of quirkiness and humour. It fizzes with electric energy. Yasmin Zaher is an extraordinary winner to mark twenty years of this vital prize.”

Zaher has been awarded the £20,250 prize for outstanding literary talent published in English and written by an author aged 39 years or under.

Her book, which is published by Footnote Press and was released in paperback on 1 May 2025, is available to buy now. Footnote Press is a small press that aims to amplify marginalised narratives and viewpoints.

The annual prize, which is named after the writer Dylan Thomas, recognises the creative work of authors in various forms – including poetry, novel, short story and drama. It is awarded by Swansea University and supported by the University’s alumni.

This year’s judges were multi-award-winning Indian author Namita Gokhale, who has over 25 works of fiction and non-fiction to her credit and is also co-director of the Jaipur Literature Festival; and British poet, critic and lecturer Seán Burn. They were joined by previous Dylan Thomas Prize winners Caleb Azumah Nelson, winner in 2022 for his debut novel "Open Water"; and Arinze Ifeakandu, winner in 2021 for his short story collection "Son of Woman".

Also shortlisted for the 2025 Prize were:

• Rapture’s Road by Seán Hewitt (Carcanet)

• Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon (Faber & Faber)

• The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden (New Island)

• Isabel Toledo, Code Name: "Cleo," a master tailor and confidante to elite New York City society, is assigned a new mission: to sew together an intricate tapestry of light and shadow, collecting the final pieces of a decades-old secret.

This year's Prize was judged by a panel of esteemed literary figures, including Namita Gokhale, the multi-award-winning Indian author of over twenty-five works of fiction and non-fiction, and co-director of the renowned Jaipur Literature Festival.

Yasmin Zaher now joins an impressive roster of writers who have previously won this prestigious prize, including Caleb Azumah Nelson, Arinze Ifeakandu, Patricia Lockwood, Max Porter, Raven Leilani, Bryan Washington, Maggie Shipstead, Guy Gunaratne and Kayo Chingonyi.