Sophie Elmhirst
The Guardian, 1843 magazine (The Economist), AudibleSophie Elmhirst writes regularly for the Guardian Long Read and the Economist’s 1843 Magazine. She has also written for The New Yorker online, the New York Times, The Gentlewoman, Harper’s Bazaar, The Fence, Tortoise and other publications. Her first book, Maurice and Maralyn – a narrative non-fiction account of a couple shipwrecked in the Pacific Ocean in 1973 – was published by Chatto & Windus earlier this year.
Her shortlisted pieces are:
- People are like, Wow!’: the man trying to make condoms sexy
- The last stand of the call centre worker
- Last love: a romance in a care home
- Exposed: The Ashley Madison Hack Episodes 1 & 2
The panel felt Sophie’s approach to telling stories through the intensely moving prism of individual experiences conveyed larger truths. With a range of subjects which touch everyone’s lives, her writing is vibrant and real.
– Janice Gibson, 2024 Orwell Prize for Journalism chair
