The Dr. Tony Ryan Book Award contest was held for the 16th time to honor the best long-form writing. The three finalists were selected by a panel of judges from nearly two dozen submissions published in 2021. That was the year when the top entries were dominated by fiction, with two of them. finalists in that category – both vivid stories feature strong female protagonists. The third finalist is an inspiring true story of a one-eyed champion’s journey to the pinnacle of his sport.
The award was launched back in 2006 by Dr Tony Ryan, a world-renowned businessman and philanthropist with a passion for good horse racing and excellent writing. It was won that first spring by two-time Eclipse and Associated Press winner Joe Drape for Black Maestro, a biography of early twentieth-century African-American racer Jimmy Winkfield. In the years that follow, the winners and finalists will include a wide range of histories, biographies, autobiographies, anthologies, investigative reports and works of fiction – some of which have been was honored with the prestigious National Book Award. They all have two things in common: great writing and compelling storylines. This year is no different.
Dr. Ryan died in 2007, after which his son Shane continued to compete in his name. The 2021 winner will receive a check for $10,000 – one of the most lucrative prizes in all of publishing – while each runner-up receives $1,000. All three finalists will be awarded a crystal trophy built in the shape of the iconic stone tower at Ryan’s Castleton Lyons farm near Lexington.
Because of Covid, the two most recent winners were announced via Zoom teleconference. Winners will be announced on November 3 at an invitational winners’ cocktail party held at Ryan’s Castleton Lyons ranch near Lexington.
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