Thursday, July 03, 2008

Welsh minister sorry over prize error

A Welsh Assembly Government minister has apologised to the author of the Wales Book of the Year after announcing the wrong winner at the award ceremony.

The minister was presenting the award for literature promotion agency Academi at the Hilton Hotel, Cardiff, on Tuesday, when he announced Bullough's name.

The young novelist had almost reached the stage to collect the cheque for £10,000 amid the applause of the audience when it was announced that a mistake had been made, and that the actual winner was the veteran poet Dannie Abse.

The culture minister immediately apologised for the mix-up, and Bullough returned to his seat while the award was then given to Abse. Bullough did not then return to the stage to collect his £1,000 runner's-up prize.

With video of the incident.

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