Submissions open for Mo Siewcharran Prize 2026 hosted by Bookouture
The Mo Siewcharran Prize 2026 is now open for submissions from romance and psychological thriller writers. Hosted by Bookouture, the prize gives commercial fiction writers the opportunity to win £2,500 and a possible publishing contract.
To enter, writers must submit the first 10,000 words of their novel and a synopsis of up to 700 words on the competition website before 2 May 2026.
Launched in 2019, the prize is named in memory of NielsenIQ BookData’s former Director of Marketing and Communications, Mo Siewcharran, and aims to nurture talent from writers from a Black, Asian, minority ethnic and/or mixed heritage background. It runs as part of Hachette UK’s The Future Bookshelf initiative and is sponsored by John Seaton, Mo Siewcharran’s husband and co-founder of the prize, as well as NielsenIQ BookData.
Jenny Geras, Managing Director of Bookouture said,
‘We’re absolutely delighted to be hosting the Mo Siewcharran Prize this year. Bookouture has an ongoing commitment to ensure our publishing is representative of the world we live in, and this is a great opportunity for us to use our commercial fiction expertise to nurture talent from under-represented backgrounds. Now that the prize open, I’d like to wish every writer submitting to us the best of luck.’
The winner of the prize will receive £2,500, a 1,000-word piece of editorial feedback on their novel, and a follow-up online session with an editor. They will also be offered an introductory meeting with a literary agent and invited to an interactive session with the Bookouture team to learn about digital publishing. The winner’s entry will also be taken forward to Bookouture’s acquisitions meeting and considered for publication under their no advance 45% royalty model.
The second and third place runners-up will receive £1,500 and £750 prize money respectively, plus editorial feedback and a hamper of Bookouture books.
The judging panel will consist of Ellen Gleeson, Publishing Director at Bookouture, Hennah Sandhu, former co-chair of Thrive (Hachette UK’s network for Black Asian and Mixed Heritage employees and allies), Leodora Darlington, author of The Exes, Silé Edwards, Literary Agent at Andrew Nurnberg Associates, and Jenn Li, book influencer @bookmarkonthewall.
Judges will be looking for a well-written and entertaining piece of writing that sits firmly within the commercial fiction sub-genres of psychological thriller or romance. Full judging criteria is available on the competition website.
A longlist will be announced on 15 June 2026 and a shortlist later in the year on 8 September 2026. The winner and runners-up will be announced at a central London awards ceremony on the 24 September 2026.
Last year the award was hosted by Orion imprint Trapeze and focused on non-fiction. Yin F Lim won for The Ties That Bind.
