TWO NEW SPONSORS GUARANTEE THE FUTURE OF THE ANGLO-HELLENIC LEAGUE RUNCIMAN AWARD

The Council of The Anglo-Hellenic League is delighted to announce our two new co-sponsors of the Runciman Award: the Athanasios C. LaskaridisCharitable Foundation and the A. G. Leventis Foundation. The Anglo-Hellenic League Runciman Award has been given most years since 1986 for the best new book published in English in the previous year on a Greek topic. The award honours the memory of the Byzantine scholar and philhellene, Sir Steven Runciman. Under the new agreement, the two co-sponsors will contribute equally to the funding of the Anglo-Hellenic League Runciman Award for the next five years, beginning in 2021. The total value of the sponsorship agreement to the League is £80,000.The value of the annual prizemoney for the Runciman Award is set at £10,000. The judging of the Anglo-Hellenic League Runciman Award 2021 is underway. The judges, chaired this year by Prof. Peter Frankopan, released their long list in January and published their short list on 9 April. The winner will be announced at a ceremony to take place by Zoom webinar on 17 June, at 7pm.Registration for the event will open on 19 May.John Kittmer, Chair of the Council of The Anglo-Hellenic League, said:‘In this year, when we are celebrating the bicentenary of Greek independence, it is wonderful to relaunch this prestigious award, which recognises the best writing in English about Greece and is a hugely important example of international philhellenism. All of us at the League are thrilled that the A. C. Laskaridis and A. G. Leventis foundations have stepped forward to guarantee the future of the Runciman Award. We look forward to working with them in the years ahead.’Evi Lazou, President of the A. C. Laskaridis Charitable Foundation, said:‘We are very happy and honoured to commence the support of the prestigious Runciman Award on the bicentenary of the Greek War of Independence. As keeping Greek heritage alive is an intrinsic part of the Athanasios C. Laskaridis Charitable Foundation’s mission, we cherish the partnership with an established institution that highlights the spirit, history, art and society of Greece.’A spokesperson for the A. G. Leventis Foundation said:‘The A. G. Leventis Foundation is delighted to support the Runciman Award, the longest established prize of its type in the UK. Over the years, this prestigious award has recognised and celebrated the influence of the Greek world in its broadest terms on European culture. It rewards bothscholarship and creativity, but emphasises the importance of accessible writing in stimulating cultural and intellectual contact between Briton and Greek.

’Council of the League 17 May 2021

NOTES TO EDITORS:1. The Anglo-Hellenic League Runciman Award was conceived in 1983, as an initiative of Earl Jellicoe, the then chairman of the League, in honour of Sir Steven Runciman, the distinguished historian of Byzantium and longest-serving chairman of the League (1951-1967).It was first awarded in 1986and has been awarded most years since then.

2. The award is given to the best book (or books) written in English in the previous year on a Greek subject. It aims to stimulate interest in Greek history and culture from earliest times to the present; to reward and encourage good and accessible writing, of which Sir Steven’s works are an example; and to promote a wider knowledge and understanding of Greece’s contribution to civilisation and values. The prize may be awarded for a work in the field of history,literary studies, biography, travel and topography, the arts, architecture, archaeology, the environment, social and political sciences or current affairs; or for a work of fiction, poetry or drama. Translations from Greek literature into English are alsoeligible.

3. The prize was last awarded in 2019, jointly to Paul Kosmin (for Time and its Adversaries in the Seleucid Empire) and to Robin Osborne (for The Transformation of Athens: Painted Pottery and the Creation of Classical Greece). No award was made in 2020. Books published in 2019 and 2020 are, therefore, eligible for the award in 2021.

4. The panel of judges for the award in 2021 comprises: Peter Frankopan (chair), Dionysis Kapsalis, Naoise Mac Sweeney, Judith Mossman and Sofka Zinovieff. The judges announced their long list of 21 titles on 14 January and their short list of 7 titles on 9 April (see www.runcimanaward.org).

5. Enquiries about the Runciman Award can be made to the acting award administrator (Dr John Kittmer) at info@anglohellenicleague.org. Information about the two sponsoring foundations can be found at: https://www.aclcf.org/about-en/the-foundation/and http://www.leventisfoundation.org/en/. The announcement to publishers for the Runciman Award 2022 will be made in late October 2021.

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