VIKKI PATIS

I couldn’t be happier to announce that The Darkest Night has been shortlisted for the ADCI (Authors with Disabilities & Chronic Illnesses) Literary Prize!

As a disabled author and former judge, the ADCI Prize is incredibly close to my heart, so seeing The Darkest Night on the 2025 shortlist is a genuine thrill. Huge congratulations to my fellow shortlistees, Helen Heckety and Tom Newlands, and to all the authors up for the other awards too. I can’t wait to read your books!

You can read more about the disability representation in The Darkest Night here, and buy a copy here.

Launched in 2022, the ADCI Literary Prize seeks to encourage greater positive representation of disability in literature. Founded by author Penny Batchelor and publisher Clare Christian together with the Society of Authors, the prize is generously sponsored by Arts Council England, ALCS, the Drusilla Harvey Memorial Fund, and the Professional Writing Academy.

Judged by Dr. Pragya Agarwal, Penny Batchelor, James Catchpole, Rachel Charlton-Dailey, Linda Corbett, Selina Mills, and Okechukwu Nzelu, the ADCI Literary Prize is awarded to a disabled or chronically ill writer, for an outstanding novel containing a disabled or chronically ill character or characters.

Judge Penny Batchelor said: This year’s shortlisted books all have powerful plots that pack a punch, immersing the reader in finely-crafted worlds and situations that can shock, cause the shedding of tears, an out loud belly laugh, or silent recognition of solidarity with their multifaceted characters. Covering historical, literary and contemporary fiction, there’s something on the shortlist for any reader who wants to eschew outmoded disability stereotypes and engage with powerful stories showing the realities of living a disabled life.