Thurber humour prize moving from New York City to Ohio

An Ohio-based non-profit named for humorist James Thurber says its annual ceremony to award the country’s top humour writing prize is moving from New York City to Ohio this year. (Photo By Fred Palumbo, World Telegram staff photographer – Library of Congress. New York World-Telegram & Sun Collection, Public Domain)

COLUMBUS, Ohio — An Ohio-based non-profit named for humorist James Thurber says its annual ceremony to award the country’s top humour writing prize is moving from New York City to Ohio this year.

Thurber House, the boyhood home of Thurber, serves as a literary centre and museum in Columbus.

Each year, it awards the Thurber Prize for American Humor. Comedian Trevor Noah won last year for “Born a Crime,” his memoir about growing up in South Africa.

The prize has been awarded in New York City since 2004. Now, the organization says it’s moving the awards ceremony to Columbus ahead of next year’s celebration of the 125th anniversary of Thurber’s birth and Thurber House’s 35th anniversary.

This year’s finalists will be named in October and the award will be presented Dec. 6.