Corporate Information

Academi – A timeline

1959 - Yr Academi Gymreig (lit. The Welsh Academy), the national society of writers in Wales, is founded on the basis of conversations between Bobi Jones and Waldo Williams. 

1968 - with the aid of the Welsh Arts Council an English language section, The Welsh Academy is founded.

1978 - Yr Academi Gymreig / The Welsh Academy becomes constitutionally independent. 

1986 - The Welsh Academy publishes the Oxford Companion To The Literature of Wales.

1995 - The Welsh Academy publishes The Welsh Academy English-Welsh Dictionary.

1997 - Yr Academi Gymreig is successful in its lottery bid to publish the first Encyclopaedia of Wales.

1998 - The Society is reformed under one Management Board with a common constitution.

1998 - the Society, partnered by Tŷ Newydd, the Gwynedd residential writing centre, wins in a bidding contest the resource to run the Welsh National Literature Promotion Agency.  The new Agency takes over management of certain Arts Council of Wales literature schemes including Writers On Tour, retaining the partnership and constitutional relationship.

1999 - in partnership with the Dylan Thomas Centre in Swansea Academi establishes a West Wales base. 

1999 - Yr Academi Gymreig / the Welsh Academy begins to use the single word Academi as a brand for publicity purposes while retaining its full legal name, Yr Academi Gymreig, for everything else.

1999 - the Arts Council of Wales transfers to Academi responsibility and resource for  the provision of festivals and other literary events across Wales.

2003 - Academi takes over from the Arts Council of Wales responsibility for maintaining services for writers including bursaries, critical services, mentoring and information.

2003 - Academi takes over the management on behalf of ACW of the Wales Book of the Year awards.

2004 - The first Academi Book of the Year award.

2004 - Academi award their first bursaries.

2005 - Academi opens the Glyn Jones Centre at the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff.

2008 - Academi publishes The Welsh Academy Encyclopaedia of Wales.