The largest and longest-running writer development programme in England is now open for entries, deadline 6 February 2025. Founded and produced by New Writing North with support from Northumbria University and Arts Council England, the Northern Writers’ Awards are now in their 26th year. The awards cover a range of genres including poetry, fiction, narrative non-fiction, young adult, middle-grade fiction and short stories. The submission window for the awards varies but all winners will be announced in June 2025.
The Northern Writers’ Awards deliver crucial support for writers at an earlier stage than most literary awards, usually before an agent or publisher is involved. As such, they have an enviable track record for identifying some of the country’s best unpublished writing, providing a pipeline of new talent to the publishing and broadcast industries.
Will Mackie, Senior Programme Manager (Talent Development) and Programme Leader (MA in Publishing), said: “Launching the Northern Writers’ Awards is always a highlight of the year for New Writing North. We continue to build the reputation of this flagship programme and could not be more proud of the impact of our Awards. We identify talented writers, create opportunities and guide writers towards their individual goals. We act as a bridge between industry and the exceptional artistic talent in the North. This work is made possible through the support of our lead partners, Arts Council England, Northumbria University, Hachette Children’s Group, Channel 4 and a wide range of industry partners and individual donors. I am also grateful for the expertise of our amazing judges and the continued dedication of the highly skilled team at New Writing North.’
Judges for 2025 include the Scottish poet and essayist Kathleen Jamie for the Northern Writers’ Awards for Poetry and the Northern Debut Awards for Poetry.
Kathleen Jamie’s poetry collections include The Overhaul, which won the 2012 Costa Poetry Prize, and The Tree House, which won the Forward prize. From 2021-24, Kathleen served as Scotland’s Makar, or National Poet.
The novelist and poet Kit Fan and interdisciplinary artist Tice Cin will judge the Northern Writers’ Awards for Fiction and Narrative Non-Fiction, the Northern Debut Awards for Fiction and Narrative Non-Fiction and the Northumbria Student and Alumni Award. Tice Cin is a music journalist, DJ, music producer, filmmaker, and author of Keeping the House, named as one of the Guardian’s Best Books of 2021. Kit Fan’s first novel is Diamond Hill, and his poetry collection The Ink Cloud Reader was shortlisted for the Forward Prize and T.S. Eliot Prize.
Agent Sandra Sawicka has been announced as a judge of the Northern Debut Award for Young Adult Fiction and the Young Northern Writers’ Awards. Sandra joined the Marjacq literary agency in 2014, with an interest is genre fiction, including horror, gothic, crime, and Young Adult fiction.
Just a reminder that the Hachette Children’s Novel Awards, for debut writers of middle-grade children’s fiction and early teen fiction, is already open for entries. Submission deadline is 13 January 2025, with two winners receiving £3000 cash prize and a programme of mentoring opportunities within Hachette Children’s Group and New Writing North.
The full suite of awards is made possible by a range of vital partnerships with Arvon, Bonafide Films, Channel 4, Hachette Children’s Group, Rollem Productions, Red Production Company, The Literary Consultancy, Newcastle University, The North Literary Agency, Oneworld Publications, The Society of Authors, ALCS, the Michael Marks Charitable Trust as well as generous donations from individual donors including the Hale family, Andrew McMillan and Benjamin Myers.
Further award categories open in February 2025, including the Tempest Prize for LGBTQ+ writers based in the North, The Finchale Award for Short Fiction, the Arvon Award, the Northern Promise TLC Read Awards and the Sid Chaplin Award for writers from working-class backgrounds.
You’ll want to know more, and, of course, to enter, (good luck!) so go to the New Writing North website: https://newwritingnorth.com/northern-writers-awards