Polari Prize

For over 10 years, FMcM has worked closely with the Polari Prize, helping to establish it as the UK’s leading LGBTQ+ book prize, providing PR and marketing services pro-bono, and sponsoring the Polari First Book Prize.

The Polari Prize was founded by activist and author Paul Burston in 2011, following the success of the Polari Salon, which he began in 2007, and continues to provide a platform for LGBTQ+ writers, touring bars and clubs, at book festivals, libraries, museums and theatres.

With a long-term campaign dedicated to year-on-year growth, in November 2022 we saw a range of author interviews and op-eds celebrating the winners, across outlets including the Guardian, BBC Radio 4 Woman’s Hour, Pink News and Openly. Our campaign for 2023 has kicked off with confirmed retail support from Waterstones and Amazon, a refreshed social media campaign with brand new photography and creative ideas to showcase the incredible long and shortlist, and coverage across LRB, Country and Town House, Writing Africa, Irish Times, and news stories across the trade.

In June 2023, FMcM also delivered the PR campaign for Paul’s incredible memoir We Can Be Heroes, published by Little A and praised by Bernardine Evaristo and Russell T. Davies. The book documents Paul’s journey from rural Wales, moving to London and joining ACT UP, becoming the first LGBT editor of Time Out, to surviving a near fatal overdose. We launched a major broadcast campaign on publication including interviews for BBC Radio 3, BBC Radio 4, Times Radio, Virgin Radio, Lit Hub and festivals across the country, supporting publisher Little A in achieving excellent sales.