The Book Edit Writers' Prize 2025 Launches Today

We are thrilled to announce the launch today of the Book Edit Writers' Prize 2025, an initiative dedicated to discovering and promoting talented, unpublished novelists now in its fifth year.

A Platform for Emerging Talent

Eight winners of the competition will get to present their work at an online Zoom showcase in front of invited industry guests, with an anthology of their work and a recording of the showcase featured on The Book Edit’s official website. They will also have the opportunity to train and rehearse for the showcase event, and all participants will receive guidance on other options including mentoring, editing and courses.

As an added benefit this year, we have teamed up with a top literary agency who will have first access to the winning entries a week before the showcase.

We will also record and spotlight the shortlisted entries to create exposure for more writers.

The Book Edit Writers’ Prize was both energising and motivating. It offered a creative challenge that sustained my focus and immersed me in the process from start to finish.

— Michelle Wales, 2024 Winner

Meet our Judge, Janice OKOH

We’re delighted to welcome Janice Okoh as the judge for this year’s prize. Janice is an acclaimed writer and author of the recent smash hit BBC3 Comedy Drama, Just Act Normal. Janice has said it is ‘an honour to be this year’s Writers' Prize Judge.’

Writers’ Prize Judge 2025 Janice Okoh

What the Prize Offers

The Book Edit Writers' Prize is more than just a competition. It's a launchpad for emerging talent, offering:

  1. Industry Exposure: Eight winners will have the opportunity to showcase their work to top industry professionals.

  2. Publication Opportunity: A chance to be featured in our anthology, putting your work in front of a wider audience.

  3. Networking: Connect with fellow writers and industry insiders.

It was a privilege to be a part of the Writers’ Prize and working with the group of winners and the Book Edit team. Not only is being selected as a winner incredibly helpful to your writing CV, the practical training for a public reading (with agents and an audience) as well as the camaraderie with other winners is fantastic.

— Bernie McQuillan 2024 Winner

Key Dates

  • Submissions Open: September 1, 2025

  • Submission Deadline: October 13, 2025

  • Rehearsal for winning writers: 19th November 2025

  • Online showcase event: 26th November 2025

  • Anthology of winners’ readings published: 3rd December 2025

How to Apply

For full details on submission guidelines and to apply, please visit our website.

It was an honour to win last year's Book Edit Writers' Prize. It kickstarted my career as a writer. I'd recommend that any aspiring writer of colour apply.

— Pavan Amara, 2024 Winner

What are you waiting for? We can’t wait to read your submissions!

Enter Competition

Publication news from The Book Edit Writers' Prize

As we prepare for our 2025 prize with submissions opening September 1st, I wanted to share some updates from our wonderful past winners, short and longlisted writers. Starting this week, let’s look at the latest publication news.

Publishing Dreams Becoming Reality

Pavan Amara has secured a two-book deal with The Borough Press following a three-way auction. Her debut novel Mirror, Mirror – the very book that won our prize – will be published in Spring 2027.

Pavan Amara

Kay Inkle has just signed with SRL Publishing for her cli-fi debut novel Overspill.

Iqbal Hussain published his debut novel Northern Boy with Unbound Firsts in 2024. His debut children’s book, The Night I Borrowed Time, will be published in early 2026 with Penguin.

Chris Bridges published his debut Sick to Death with Avon Books to rave reviews.

Emily Abdeni Holman’s poetry collection, Body Tectonic, was published by Broken Sleep Books last summer. She has also contributed her poem, Where We Find Ourselves, to the Arachne Press’ Global Majority anthology. 

Bren Gosling is publishing his debut novel The Streetsweeper with Troubador Books, due out next year.

Congratulations to all these wonderful writers!

Looking Forward

As we prepare for 2025 with the brilliant Janice Okoh as our judge, I'm excited to discover who will join our brilliant past winners, short and longlisted writers.

The stories above started with 1,000 words and a synopsis submitted to our prize. Your story could be next.

Submissions open September 1st.

Learn more about the competition

The Book Edit Writers' Prize: Spotlight on last year's winners

As submissions for The Book Edit Writers’ Prize are now fully under way, we wanted to highlight how previous winners have benefited from the competition.

Clare Ramsaran

Since winning the Book Edit Writers’ Prize last year, Clare went on to be shortlisted for the Unbound Firsts Prize and longlisted for the Leeds Literary Prize.

In Clare's own words:

"Being a winner of the Book Edit Writers Prize was a huge confidence boost to me... It gave me the opportunity to share my work with a number of agents, a mentoring session with a Commissioning Editor from Legend Press and introduced me to a cohort of talented and nurturing writers (we're still in touch). The Book Edit team could not have been more supportive. If you're thinking of applying, don't hesitate!"

Winner Pavan Amara

Winner Clare Ramsaran

Pavan Amara:

“It was an honour to win last year's Book Edit Writers' Prize. It kickstarted my career as a writer. I'd recommend that any aspiring writer of colour apply."

The prize has also contributed to a sense of community among the winners.

Stephanie Torrance:

Winner Stephanie Torrance

"The Book Edit Writer's Prize was the very first writing prize I ever entered, so winning gave me so much confidence that I can actually pursue writing as a career. The community aspect of the prize, I feel, is also invaluable. I'm still in touch with the girls who also won and we keep up to date with each other's progress and successes. Since winning the prize, I received a scholarship to the Faber Academy for one of their novel writing courses so I've spent most of this year deconstructing my novel draft while doing the course with a view to begin querying agents early next year. This time last year, my draft was really rough. It's improved a lot in the last twelve months, in no small part due to the confidence and validation from winning the prize.”

After being picked as one of the original winners for 2023 Nicola Fieldsend went on to sign with a top literary agency.  In her words,

"I was delighted to discover I was one of the original eight winners of The Book Edit Writers' Prize 2023. Shortly after the news, I stepped down to sign with Hayley Steed at Janklow & Nesbit... The Book Edit Writers' Prize has been an important part of my writing journey ever since I was longlisted in 2022. Congratulations to the winners, and if you submitted in 2023, try again in 2024! You never know what might happen!"

There's no doubt that the contest has given the winners not only an introduction to the publishing world, but also increased confidence in their writing and a sense of community.

Thinking of applying this year?

We’re thrilled that our 2024 prize judge will be acclaimed author Lara Haworth. Lara will choose eight winners from a writing competition for British and/ or UK-based unpublished novelists from backgrounds and communities currently underrepresented in UK publishing.

Legend Press’s Commissioning Editor, Lauren Wolff-Jones, will read the winners’ first chapters and provide individual advice and feedback via Zoom.

The deadline for the submissions is the 15th October 2024 and you can see the full details and rules here. It’s a competition no one can lose that’s completely free to enter! For full competition details, dates and submission guidelines follow this link or click the button below to enter straight away. 

ENTER PRIZE

The Book Edit Writers' Prize 2024 Launches Today

We are thrilled to announce the launch today of the Book Edit Writers' Prize 2024, an initiative dedicated to discovering and promoting talented, unpublished novelists.

A Platform for Emerging Talent

The eight winners of the competition will get to present their work at an online Zoom showcase in front of invited industry guests, with an anthology of their work and a recording of the showcase featured on The Book Edit’s official website. They also will have the opportunity to train and rehearse for the showcase event, and all participants will receive guidance on other options including mentoring, editing and courses.

As an added benefit this year, we will also record and spotlight the shortlisted entries to create exposure for more writers.

“It was an honour to win last year’s Book Edit Writers’ Prize. It kickstarted my career as a writer. I’d recommend that any aspiring writer of colour apply.”
— Pavan Amara, 2023 Winner

Writers’ Prize Judge 2024 Lara Haworth

Meet our Judge, Lara Haworth

We’re delighted to welcome Lara Haworth as the judge for this year’s prize. Lara is an artist and novelist, and author of the acclaimed Monumenta.

“I am honoured to judge this year’s Book Edit Writer’s Prize. The talent of the shortlisted writers over the last four years demonstrates both the strength of the competition and the continued need to carve out a space for writers from marginalised groups to thrive on their own terms. As a queer writer, the obstacles to success have been many. It is a real privilege to be part of a prize that works to remove some of those barriers, and I can’t wait to read the submissions”
— Lara Haworth, Writers' Prize Judge

What the Prize Offers

The Book Edit Writers' Prize is more than just a competition. It's a launchpad for emerging talent, offering:

  1. Industry Exposure: Eight winners will have the opportunity to showcase their work to top industry professionals.

  2. Publication Opportunity: A chance to be featured in our anthology, putting your work in front of a wider audience.

  3. Expert Feedback: Personalised feedback from Lauren Wolff-Jones, Commissioning Editor at Legend Press.

  4. Networking: Connect with fellow writers and industry insiders.

“Winning the Writers’ Prize was a real boost to my self-belief as a writer...With the renewed confidence that I gained after winning the prize, I applied for other competitions and was long listed, shortlisted and selected as a winner in some of them. Just go for it. You never know what might happen.”
— Rosalind Yarde, 2023 Winner

Key Dates

  • Submissions Open: September 1, 2024

  • Submission Deadline: October 15, 2024

  • Rehearsal for winning writers: 13th November 2024

  • Online showcase event: 20th November 2024

  • Anthology of winners’ readings published on The Book Edit website:

    27th November 2024

How to Apply

For full details on submission guidelines and to apply, please visit our website.

“Winning the Book Edit Writers’ Prize winner was a real affirmation that Tapha (now At the Pine House) was interesting to others and might be able to make it as a book and not just my own project...the Prize opens something that continues; it isn’t just a one-off event. It’s easy with writing (for me at least) to sit on a project for years on end and not propel it out into the world, and the Book Edit Writers’ Prize has been important in invigorating me to believe in the possible wider resonance of my work. So I’m very thankful and will definitely be following this year’s Prize.”
— Emily Abdeni-Holman, 2023 Winner