Great Northern Read Award (2027)

The Great Northern Read Award has been devised by Johnson & Alcock to offer a fresh and exciting opportunity for emerging writers of gripping, page-turning fiction across all genres, who are looking to take the next step towards publication. 

The award is open to unagented and unpublished writers who are currently living in the North of England. We are interested in submissions across the full spectrum of genres, including but not limited to: crime, mystery, thriller, historical, romance, fantasy, horror, sci-fi and book club fiction, with an emphasis on immersive storytelling and compelling writing. 

There will be one winning writer, who will receive £2500 prize money, a structured programme of mentoring sessions with representatives from Johnson & Alcock literary agency, who will provide the successful candidate with tailored guidance on manuscript development and career progression. During this time you will commit to a period of exclusive development with Johnson & Alcock. The winner will also receive access to New Writing North’s programme of support for writers.

To enter, writers must submit the first 3000-6000 words of their novel in progress and a synopsis, and answer a set of application questions. All applications must be entered via Submittable. 

Authors longlisted for the award will be notified by 1 March and asked to deliver a complete draft of their manuscript via Submittable by 15 March. Therefore, although you don’t need to have a complete full draft in order to submit, you should be in a position where you will be able to submit a full draft by 15 March 2027.

To apply for this award you should be:

• Living in the North of England at the time of entering and planning to remain here for at least another 12 months. 
• Over the age of 18.  
• A debut writer who is yet to have published or self-published a full-length work. 
• A writer of fiction across all genres.
• Currently unagented. 

Please do not put your name on your writing sample or as part of the file name for your extract.

Please note you can only apply to ONE award in this submission window: either the Great Northern Read Award or the Hachette Children's Novel Award.

For more information, please read the Eligibility and Conditions of Entry carefully.

For any enquiries, please read the FAQs. If you still need an answer, contact us at awards@newwritingnorth.com