This award is open to debut writers over the age of 42 who self-identify as women or non-binary.
For the purposes of this award, ‘debut’ is defined as an author who has not published, nor is contracted to publish, a full-length work of fiction or narrative non-fiction. Writers previously published in other genres such as poetry, academic writing and writing for children may apply for this award. Writers who have self-published full-length works are not considered debut authors for this award.
This award is for debut works of fiction only, including novels, novellas and short-story collections. This includes fiction for adults and young adults. Our mission is to support writing of exceptional literary merit. Poetry, non-fiction and drama scripts are not eligible for this award. Works of factual, technical, journalistic and scientific writing, local history, travel writing, translation or self-publishing projects are also not eligible for entry.
The award is open to submissions of work written in World English by writers of any nationality or descent who at the time of entering are permanently resident in the North of England. Applicants must currently live full-time in the North of England. The North of England is defined as the areas covered by Arts Council England in Yorkshire, North East and North West. We regret we are unable to accept submissions from outside these areas due to conditions in our funding from Arts Council England. Undergraduate and postgraduate students may enter if they are permanently based in the North of England.
The Northern Writers’ Awards support new work in progress. The work that you enter for the awards must be your current work in progress. For prose writers we expect to see an extract of work supported by a synopsis that fully describes the book that you are working to complete. Applicants are not eligible if the work that they are submitting is currently part of a book deal that they have received a publishing contract and advance for. If you receive a book deal for your work during the judging period it is your responsibility to inform us of this fact.
To be considered, work does not have to be of a ‘northern’ flavour or have a ‘northern’ theme. Writers who are writing books set in the North of England but who do not live in the region are not eligible.
All entries must be made through the online submissions portal. To qualify, a submission must consist of two items: the online application form and the creative work in progress. To be eligible submissions to the awards must have been made by 11:59pm on 18 February 2021. Submissions received after this point in time will not be eligible for entry.
New Writing North will make final decisions on eligibility. Our decisions will be final and no communication will be entered into on the subject.
For more advice and guidance on your application, visit our FAQs.