Our New Judge & Prize Update

Announcing Our 2026 Writers’ Prize Judge

We're delighted to announce that our judge for this year’s Book Edit Writers’ Prize will be friend of The Book Edit and talented author, teacher and editor Emily Midorikawa.

Emily has just published her debut novel, A Tiny Speck of Black and Then Nothing, with Manilla Press, a story exploring memory, identity and disappearance set in the nightlife of Osaka.

She is also a winner of the Lucy Cavendish Fiction Prize and author of the group biographies Out of the Shadows: Six Visionary Victorian Women in Search of a Public Voice and A Secret Sisterhood: The Hidden Friendships of Austen, Brontё, Eliot and Woolf (the latter cowritten with Emma Claire Sweeney).

Speaking about the prize, Emily says, ‘I know from personal experience what a difference entering prizes can make to emerging writers, particularly those from groups currently underrepresented in UK publishing. I'm absolutely thrilled to be judging this year's Book Edit Writers’ Prize, and can't wait to get started on reading the entries.’

We can't wait to see the prize through Emily’s eyes this year, and to celebrate her wonderful debut alongside our writers.

Full details on this year's prize, including key dates, submission guidelines and how to enter, will be announced next month, along with a special spotlight on Emily and her journey to publication.

A Slower August

The Book Edit will be slowing down for August. We'll still be picking up emails, just a little more slowly than usual, but we’ll be back to full speed in September, ready for prize submissions and all the exciting projects ahead.

Wishing you all a wonderful, restful summer, and happy writing in the meantime!

Our 2025 Prize Winners: Read Their Work & Watch the Showcase

Last week we celebrated the eight winners of The Book Edit Writers' Prize 2025 at our online showcase, and what an inspiring evening it was.

Judged by acclaimed author Janice Okoh, this year's winners represent exceptional storytelling from voices traditionally underrepresented in UK publishing. Their work took us from 1990s Manchester to Ho Chi Minh City, exploring themes of identity, immigration, belonging and love with freshness and originality. Special thanks goes to Janice for her impeccable judging, Rebekah Lattin-Rawstrone for her wonderful rehearsing and hosting, and to all our winners.

The 2025 Winners

• A Handful of Grain by Sudhana Singh

• Bánh Meet Cute by Sophie Yan Yee Lau

• Becoming ‘K. J. Miller’ by Uduak-Abasi Ekong

• Fearfully, Wonderfully by Summer Kendrick

• Get a Life, Sean Paulson by Louise Tolmie

• Roots by Kirsty Purnell

• The Cursed Detective by Phil Callaghan

• Witness We Give by M.H. Dookhun

We're delighted to share that you can now read all eight winning entries in our online anthology and watch the full showcase recording right here on The Book Edit website.

Read the anthology here

Watch the showcase here

Congratulations to all our wonderful winners. We hope you enjoy discovering their stories as much as we have.

2025 Book Edit Writers' Prize Winners!

We are delighted to announce the winners of 2025’s Writers’ Prize. Drum roll, please…the winners are:

• A Handful of Grain by Sudhana Singh

• Bánh Meet Cute by Sophie Yan Yee Lau

• Becoming K. J. Miller by Uduak-Abasi Ekong

• Fearfully, Wonderfully by Summer Kendrick

• Get a Life, Sean Paulson by Louise Tolmie

• Roots by Kirsty Purnell

• The Cursed Detective by Phil Callaghan

• Witness We Give by Hussein Dookhun

These eight fabulous winners will go on to read at an online showcase for invited industry guests tonight and an anthology of their winning entries and a recording of the event will subsequently be published on The Book Edit website.

Judged this year by acclaimed author Janice Okoh, the standard of entries has been outstanding. Speaking of judging the prize, Janice said: ‘Agents say they know they're reading something great by just the opening line. I got chills reading some of the winners.' We couldn’t agree more!

2025 Writers’ Prize Judge Janice Okoh

With enormous thanks to Janice for her brilliant judging this year. And huge congratulations to all our winners. We can’t wait to hear them read at the showcase!

Watch this space for more about the authors, their novels and future writing careers.

Announcing the 2025 Book Edit Writers' Prize Shortlist!

We’re thrilled to announce the shortlist for 2025’s Book Edit Writers’ Prize, judged this year by acclaimed author Janice Okoh.

These sixteen exceptional novels were selected from a longlist of twenty-four, representing outstanding storytelling and demonstrating the breadth of talent this year.

THE SHORTLISTED WRITERS AND THEIR NOVELS ARE:

• A Handful of Grain by Sudhana Singh

• Bánh Meet Cute by Sophie Yan Yee Lau

• Becoming K. J. Miller by Uduak-Abasi Ekong

• City of Storytellers by Shehrazade Zafar-Arif

• Fearfully, Wonderfully by Summer Kendrick

• Get a Life, Sean Paulson by Louise Tolmie

• Infection by Kiah Olowu

• Ingredients by Javaria Akbar

• Iniono by Esohe Uwadiae

• Roots by Kirsty Purnell

• Spirit of Endeavour by Matthew Fothergill

• The Cursed Detective by Phil Callaghan

• Unwritten Ending by Kiah Simpson

• When the Cherry Blossom Falls by Susannah Jong-Sook Bond

• Witness We Give by Hussein Dookhun

• Yoga Homicide by Emma Conally-Barklem

The final winners will be announced next week ahead of a special online showcase on 26 November, where they will read from their work to invited industry guests. The winning entries will also be published in an online anthology following the showcase.

Congratulations to all our shortlisted and longlisted writers – what an achievement!

2025 Book Edit Writers' Prize Longlist Announced!

We are delighted to reveal the longlist for 2025's Book Edit Writers' Prize, championing unpublished novelists from communities currently underrepresented in UK publishing.

This prize was established in 2020 to give visibility and support to new voices and to attempt to open doors into the industry for British and UK-based novelists seeking representation.

We've been overwhelmed by this year's entries – a record number of submissions that reflect a remarkable breadth and richness of storytelling.

The longlisted entries offer a vibrant mix of genres and approaches, ranging from thrillers through to historical fiction. Every writer on this longlist has shown real potential, creating gripping stories that demand to reach more readers. These are powerful, distinctive voices bringing vital new perspectives to the literary landscape.

THE LONGLISTED WRITERS AND THEIR NOVELS ARE:

• A Handful of Grain by Sudhana Singh

• All the Grieving Mothers by George Hamilton

• Bánh Meet Cute by Sophie Yan Yee Lau

• Becoming K. J. Miller by Uduak-Abasi Ekong

• City of Storytellers by Shehrazade Zafar-Arif

• Climbs and Punishment by Joseph Whyte

• Familiar Magic by Rachel Lewis

• Fearfully, Wonderfully by Summer Kendrick

• Fireflies by Jane Cacouris

• Get a Life, Sean Paulson by Louise Tolmie

• Infection by Kiah Olowu

• Ingredients by Javaria Akbar

• Iniono by Esohe Uwadiae

• Patchwork Sea by Alan C. Smith

• Playing for the Other Team by Alice Sanders

• Roots by Kirsty Purnell

• Son of Dusk by Chisom Okoronkwo

• Spirit of Endeavour by Matthew Fothergill

• The Cursed Detective by Phil Callaghan

• The Sun Inside the Storm by Siobhan Costello

• Unwritten Ending by Kiah Simpson

• When the Cherry Blossom Falls by Susannah Jong-Sook Bond

• Witness We Give by Hussein Dookhun

• Yoga Homicide by Emma Conally-Barklem

Next Steps

The shortlist will be announced next week, with the winners revealed just before our online showcase on November 26, 2025.

Thank you to everyone who submitted their work, and huge congratulations to all our longlisted writers.

For more information about the Prize and updates on our shortlist announcement, please follow us on social media or sign up to our mailing list.

The Book Edit Writers' Prize is committed to discovering and nurturing new literary talent from underrepresented communities, helping to create a more diverse and inclusive publishing landscape.