If that’s you, and you’re working on short stories or a full-length novel, we encourage you to submit your writing to us. This is a development prize, so you only need to have written a synopsis and the first 2,000 words – and we can support you as you write the rest.

That’s why the prize on offer isn’t a book deal. We don’t want to help you with one book. We want to give you the tools you need to write all the books that your imagination holds.

If you win the year-long mentorship, we will support and mentor you as you develop your writing, as well as provide you with the knowledge and contacts you need to navigate the at-times obtuse corridors of the publishing industry.

Both you and the six shortlisted writers will receive a free writing course with Curtis Brown Creative, and will be invited to a networking event.

We’ll also support the longlisted writers through a workshop, where we’ll discuss every aspect of the publishing process.

Eligibility
Writers 18 and older are eligible to apply.
Writers must be residents of/based in the United Kingdom, regardless of their citizenship status.
Applicants must be un-agented, and must not have published, or have received a contract to publish, a full-length work of fiction as of 29 September 2023. However, they may have had work published in literary magazines and journals, whether in print or online.
Applicants from underrepresented backgrounds are eligible to apply. We welcome applications from people of colour, those from lower socio-economic backgrounds, those living with a disability, and members of the LGBTQ+ community/queer communities.

Find out more here.

Deadline: 5pm, 29 September 2023