The Book Edit Writers’ Prize 2025
Chosen from a writing competition for British and/or UK-based, unpublished novelists from backgrounds and communities currently underrepresented in UK publishing, The Book Edit Writers’ Prize 2025 is open for submissions from 1 September. The aim of the Writers’ Prize is to help talented writers, who might not otherwise have access to the industry, get their work in front of an audience of top literary agents.
The competition will select eight writers to read their work at a live Zoom showcase event for invited industry guests taken from The Book Edit’s wide industry network. After the event, an anthology of the readings and recordings from the showcase will be published on The Book Edit’s website.
“The Book Edit Writer’s Prize was the 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 is also invaluable. I’m still in touch with the girls who also won and we keep up-to-date with each others’ progress and successes. Off the back of the prize, I had two agents get in touch with me... and since winning the prize, I received a scholarship to the Faber Academy for one of their novel writing courses...my novel has improved a lot in the last 12 months, in no small part due to the confidence and validation from winning the prize.”
The winning writers will also be given training on reading their work aloud with an online rehearsal one week before the showcase. The training and event hosting will be provided by Dr Rebekah Lattin-Rawstrone who has been involved in reading events for over fifteen years and who currently runs City Writes and hosts The Novel Studio Showcase at City, University of London.
“It was a privilege to be a part of the Writer’s 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. ”
We're delighted to welcome award-winning author Janice Okoh as this year's judge. Fresh from the success of her BBC3 comedy drama Just Act Normal – adapted from her acclaimed play Three Birds – Janice will bring her expertise in character development and storytelling to the judging process.
2025 Judge Janice Okoh
This year we are also offering the opportunity for all our shortlisted writers to have their entries recorded and spotlit on our website along with an email campaign and social media boost to promote their work to a wider audience.
Completely free to enter, it’s a competition you can’t lose: all entrants will be offered guidance on other options including mentoring, courses and editing. All you need to submit is the first 1,000 words of your novel, a (500 word max) synopsis and a brief note on your writing experience to date. See below for the full details.
Competition Details:
For your opportunity to be one of The Book Edit’s Writers’ Prize 2025 winners, reading at The Book Edit Agent Showcase and seeing your work published in an online anthology, you will need to submit your entry (when submissions open on 1 September) and additional information via our online form by 17:00 on the 15th October 2025. No late submissions will be read. Please make sure you have read the rules and our list of dos and don’ts before you submit.
Key Dates:
Competition opens 1st September 2025
Deadline for competition entries: 15th October 2025
Final eight winners of competition informed: 14th November 2025
Zoom rehearsal for winning writers: 19th November 2025
Online showcase event: 26th November 2025
Anthology of winners’ readings published on The Book Edit website:
3rd December 2025.*
*Please note all these dates are a guide to the expected timetable but are subject to change at short notice should unforeseen circumstances occur.