The Northern Writers Awards re-launch with new awards and 55,000 of support for new writing from the North of England

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1 Press release Thursday 15 November 2018 The Northern Writers Awards re-launch with new awards and 55,000 of support for new writing from the North of England New awards include the Hachette Children s Novel Award, NorthBound Book Award, Northern Debut Awards and Sid Chaplin Award Writers from across the North of England are invited to submit their work in progress to the Northern Writers Awards 2019, which are now open for entry until Thursday 7 February The Northern Writers Awards were founded by New Writing North and have been running since They have re-launched for 2019 with their biggest programme ever, including several new partners and awards strands and a renewed three-year agreement with Channel 4. Judges for this year s awards include the literary editor and publisher Ellah Wakatama Allfrey, writer and journalist Richard Benson, children s author Sita Brahmachari and poet Don Paterson. The Northern Writers Awards exist to recognise talent and support new work towards publication or broadcast. The awards are the largest of their kind in the country and have a reputation for identifying some of the best unpublished writing in the UK, with recent winners including the novelists Chloe Daykin, Yvonne Battle-Felton and Benjamin Myers, short story writer Carys Davies, and poets Zaffar Kunial, Andrew McMillan and Kim Moore. A 2018 report conducted by Professor Katy Shaw, Northumbria University concludes that the Northern Writers Awards offer excellent outcomes for writers personal and professional development; contribute to the ecology of regional writing; and create a talent pipeline to the UK publishing industry. New Writing North has created new awards for 2019 following the report s recommendations to address the growing number of talented writers applying for support (from 99 entries in 2008 to 1400 entries in 2018) by enhancing the number of opportunities, and to aid winners professional development by

2 offering them wider support and longer term engagement, including through extended and formalised networks. The Northern Writers Awards offer support for writers at different stages of their careers, including mentoring, developmental support and cash awards to buy time to write. In addition to individual awards, New Writing North supports its winners with ongoing tailored support. In 2019 selected winners will be offered additional opportunities including the chance to pitch work to literary agents and editors at the Summer Talent Salon in London; membership of The Society of Authors; and a professional development session with the leading independent publisher, Oneworld Publications. New for 2019, New Writing North has partnered with All3Media to give All3Media the chance to read Northern Writers Awards submissions with a view to considering their potential for TV development. All3Media is the creator, producer and distributor of television programmes and digital, from dramas like Call the Midwife, The Missing, Liar, and Informers, to factual entertainment formats such as Gogglebox, The Only Way is Essex, Undercover Boss, The F-Word, Gold Rush and The Undateables. The awards available for 2019 are: NEW: The Hachette Children s Novel Award, worth 5000, is a major new award for children s writers in the North of England, which will see its winner s children s book published by the Hachette Children s Group, whose prestigious fiction list includes authors such as: David Almond (Skellig); Cressida Cowell (Wizards of Once and the How To Train Your Dragon series); Jessica Townsend (Nevermoor and Wundersmith); Will Mabbitt (Embassy of the Dead); Patrice Lawrence (Orange Boy); Liz Kessler (Emily Windsnap); and Piers Torday (The Last Wild series and The Lost Magician). The writer will also have access to other developmental opportunities offered by New Writing North. NEW: The NorthBound Book Award, supported by UCLan Publishing and Saraband, is a flagship award open to new, emerging and established writers of fiction or narrative non-fiction. This award is for a full manuscript and the winning writer will receive 5000, a guarantee of publication with Saraband and access to New Writing North s development programmes. The award celebrates the innovative spirit of independent publishing and the richness of writing from the North of England. Saraband is a leading award-winning independent publisher, now based in North West England, whose list includes Graeme Macrae Burnet, Chitra Ramaswamy and Ever Dundas. NEW: The Northern Debut Awards programme offers structured developmental support to four writers of fiction, young adult fiction or narrative non-fiction who are yet to publish a full-length novel or collection of short stories. The package of support includes a 2000 bursary, mentoring from a practising writer and development sessions with a publishing professional. One

3 place will be made in the name of Andrea Badenoch to a debut female writer over the age of 42. NEW: The Sid Chaplin Award, in partnership with the North Literary Agency, is a new award for writers of fiction and narrative non-fiction who identify as originating from a working-class background. The winning writer will receive a bursary of 2000 and a comprehensive package of support including mentoring from the North Literary Agency and a manuscript appraisal from The Literary Consultancy. The award is made in memory of the writer Sid Chaplin ( ) whose novels such as The Day of the Sardine and The Watchers and the Watched are celebrated for their stylistic mastery and their vivid and poignant depictions of working-class life in North East England. The flagship Northern Writers Awards, which offer cash prizes of up to 5000 to support writers of fiction, narrative non-fiction, children s, YA, graphic novels, short stories and poetry. The Channel 4 Writing for Television Awards offer two emerging writers development opportunities within television. One writer will receive a mentoring placement with Lime Pictures working on their award-winning serial drama Hollyoaks for Channel 4 and E4. Another writer will develop an original TV drama project with Bonafide Films, whose recent shows include The Last Post by Peter Moffat for BBC One. Both winners will receive a bursary of The New North Poets programme, produced by New Writing North and the Poetry School, is open to poets who are yet to publish a full-length collection. Winning poets will receive a structured package of support on the programme, including a writing residency, group mentoring and workshops from the poet Clare Pollard, professional-development support and publication in a digital anthology. The Northumbria University Student and Alumni Award, worth 2000, for fiction or poetry, open to final year students and recent graduates of the university. TLC Free Reads Scheme, which offers up to three poets or prose writers an indepth editorial report from The Literary Consultancy and a 500 bursary. The Word Factory Apprentice Award is open to short story writers who have not yet published a collection. The winner will receive 1000; mentoring from the writer Carys Davies; and a package of support and opportunities with The Word Factory and Comma Press. The Arvon Award, which offers a prose writer the chance to undertake an Arvon residential creative writing course. The Young Northern Writer Award, worth 200, will recognise one young writer between 12 and 18 years old whose work shows exceptional promise.

4 The Matthew Hale Award, for writers aged and worth 500, is for talented young writers who might otherwise lack the opportunity to pursue their writing promise. The Northern Writers Awards are produced by New Writing North with support from Northumbria University and Arts Council England. The full suite of awards is made possible by a range of vital partnerships with All3Media, Arvon, Bonafide Films, Channel 4, Hachette Children s Group, Lime Pictures, The Literary Consultancy, Oneworld Publications, The Poetry School, Saraband, The Society of Authors, UCLan Publishing and Word Factory. Claire Malcolm, Chief Executive of New Writing North, said: We re excited to open up our biggest ever Northern Writers Awards, with opportunities for writers at all stages of their careers and both new and renewed partnerships. The Northern Writers Awards continue to be innovative in the way we create partnerships across arts, academia and the publishing and media industries. We offer writers transformative opportunities, which will have a significant impact on their careers and which contribute to the rebalancing of voices within publishing and the media. Each year we feel a sense of anticipation as we open up the Northern Writers Awards, not knowing which writers are going to come through our programme. Coming across brilliant new writers who were not on our radar is a particular highlight and, amazingly after 19 years, it still happens more and more each year. If you re considering applying, we really hope you do and we look forward to reading your application." Professor Katy Shaw, Professor of Contemporary Writings at Northumbria University, said: "The 2019 Northern Writers' Awards offer writers a brilliant opportunity to kick start their careers in the industry without having to relocate to the capital. The awards are bigger and better than ever this year, and proudly acknowledge the diversity and talent we have in the northern regions. I would encourage anyone thinking about applying to go along to one of the Northern Writers' Awards Roadshow events to meet previous winner and members of the New Writing North team and get free guidance on their application. A quick glance at the alumni of winners to date shows that winning a Northern Writers' Award can change your life - it's a chance worth taking." Judges comments: Publishing director Ellah Wakatama Allfrey, judge of the fiction and narrative non-fiction awards, said: I m delighted to have this chance to sit on a panel that focuses in closely on new writing from the North of England. Casting one s gaze to allow for the possibilities of writers whose centre is not the metropolis always invites new ways of seeing. I m looking forward to the possibilities of discovery. Writer and journalist Richard Benson, judge of the fiction and narrative non-fiction awards, said: I m really looking forward to reading the

5 submissions because I m so interested to find out about these writers responses to, and visions of, their region. Geographical identity and relationship to place currently seem more important than they have done at any time in the last 50 years, and we need non-metropolitan people considering those phenomena with the sort of empathy, insight and balance that good writing can provide. To be able to play a part in helping writers to meet the challenges involved is a very exciting prospect. Author Sita Brahmachari, judge of the Hachette Children s Novel Award said: The North of England is close to my heart as I went to school for a time in The Lake District where my Mum's family are from. The landscape and its people have inspired me as an author. I'm so happy to be part of this fantastic award that gives opportunity to the talented writers of the north. Poet Don Paterson, judge of the poetry awards, said: It's an honour to be judging the Northern Writers Awards for poetry this year. As well as the opportunity to highlight some of the great writing coming out of the North today, I look forward to making some exciting new discoveries in what is one of the most vibrant and interesting periods for poetry that I can recall. Literary agent Jo Unwin, judge of the Hachette Children s Novel Award, said: I'm honoured to be Hachette's representative on the judging panel. One of the greatest highlights of my job is to spot talented new authors with original voices who can also deliver gripping storylines. Whether it's magical fantasy, humour, a romance with huge heart, or something I don t even know I m looking for that will blow reader s imaginations open I can't wait to get stuck into the entries for this prize. Enter online at by Thursday 7 February For all media enquiries, please contact Laura Fraine laurafraine@newwritingnorth.com NOTES TO EDITORS New Writing North is the writing development agency for the north of England, and is an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation The Northern Writers Awards are its central platform for discovering and developing new writers from across the region, and were founded in More information about the Northern Writers Awards is available at New Writing North works with writers to develop career opportunities, new commissions, projects, residencies, publications and live events. Northumbria University, Newcastle is a research-rich, business-focused, professional university with a global reputation for academic excellence.

6 One of the largest institutions in the UK with almost 34,000 students from more than 132 countries and over 200,000 alumni worldwide, Northumbria is empowering a new generation of innovators, visionaries and change-makers to transform lives, to make a remarkable impact on the world, and to take on tomorrow. This year, Northumbria announced a partnership with Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences (AUAS) to open a new campus in Amsterdam, and saw significant improvement in the University Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2019 where it is now ranked in the top Northumbria has invested more than 250 million in its estate since 2005 to improve the student experience. Northumbria is ranked top 50 in the UK for research power and had the 4th largest increase in quality research funding (REF 2014). According to Times Higher Education, Northumbria had the biggest rise in research power of any university in the UK. Northumbria s cultural partners include New Writing North, Live Theatre, BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, Tyneside Cinema, and Tyne & Wear Archives and Museums.