The Hawthornden Prize is a British literary award that was established in 1919 by Alice Warrender. It is funded by a trust bequeathed by her. Authors under the age of 41 are awarded on the quality of their "imaginative literature" which can be written in either poetry or prose. The Hawthornden Committee awards the Prize annually for a work published in the previous twelve months. There have been several gap years without a recipient (1984–87, 1971–73, 1966, 1959, 1945–57).