We’re thrilled to announce that submissions for our transformative writer development programme Discoveries have opened for 2027.
Now in its seventh year, and run in partnership with Audible, the Curtis Brown Group, and the Curtis Brown Creative writing school – Discoveries is a crucial resource for inspiring and supporting new talent to write their first novels, with a focus on ‘promise, not polish’.
Free to enter, unagented and unpublished women writers in the UK and Ireland are invited to submit the first 10,000 words of a novel for adult readers for the chance to receive an offer of literary agent representation and a bursary of £5,000. This is alongside access to a bespoke creative writing course, personalised mentorships and workshops, practical advice and industry insight, a curated programme of outreach events and online content, as well as becoming part of a highly supportive and active writing community.
The programme is designed to address the specific challenges that women face as writers, and forms part of our commitment to provide a platform for novelists currently underrepresented in the UK publishing industry. In 2026, 76% of entries were from writers outside of London, with record submissions from underrepresented communities within publishing, including writers who identify as disabled, working-class and Global Majority.
Discoveries has inspired thousands of women to share their writing for the first time, with over 16,000 entries since the programme began in 2020. Out of the 96 writers selected in the first six years of Discoveries, eleven alumni have published their debut novels and 34% (33) women are signed with literary agents.
A crucial part of our mission at the Women’s Prize Trust, the charity building a better future by championing women’s writing, is inspiring and supporting the new voices of tomorrow, particularly those who haven’t had access to or opportunity for a creative life. As we enter the seventh year of our flagship writing development programme – Discoveries – we are so proud of our alumni’s hard work and ever-growing list of debut publications. It’s a huge privilege to play a part in bringing their immense talents to a wider audience, along with the collaborative efforts of our incredible writers, judges, partners, and champions who provide immense practical and pastoral support. We are thrilled to open this year’s submissions, and present the accompanying programme of workshops, panels, webinars, and more that we hope will continue to draw more writers together.”
Claire Shanahan, Executive Director of the Women’s Prize Trust
The 2027 judging panel will be chaired by Kate Mosse CBE FRSL, the international bestselling writer and Founder Director of the Women’s Prize for Fiction and the Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction. Mosse is joined by bestselling novelist, screenwriter and 2019 Women’s Prize for Fiction shortlisted author Oyinkan Braithwaite (My Sister, The Serial Killer; Cursed Daughters); award-winning author and former litigation lawyer Ela Lee (Jaded; Minbak); Curtis Brown literary agent Ciara Finan; and Founder and Managing Director of Curtis Brown Creative Anna Davis.
Submissions are open from 15 September 2026 until 11:59pm on 11 January 2027. The Discoveries 2027 longlist and shortlist will be announced respectively on 6 and 20 May, and the winner on 3 June 2027.
The winner of Discoveries 2027 will receive an offer of representation from the Curtis Brown Group and a bursary of £5,000; one promising writer, named the ‘Discoveries Scholar’, will win a scholarship to attend a three-month Writing Your Novel course with Curtis Brown Creative (worth £2,000); the shortlist of six authors (including the winner and scholar) will each be offered a one-to-one mentoring session with a Curtis Brown agent plus a free place on a six-week Curtis Brown Creative course of their choice and a studio day at Audible; while the 16 longlisted authors will each receive a place on a bespoke, two-week Discoveries Writing Development Course taught by Laura Barnett, plus an Audible subscription.
It has been a great pleasure to chair the Discoveries judging panel since we first launched the programme six years ago. Each year brings a new crop of inspirational, varied, topical, exciting debut voices – women of all ages writing, dreaming, sharing their stories and their imaginations. New writing is the life-blood of our industry – our 2026 Women’s Prize for Fiction winner was a debut novelist – and my fellow judges and I can’t wait to get reading.”
Kate Mosse CBE FRSL, writer and chair of judges
Whether you’re nurturing the spark of a new idea or returning to a project that’s been on the back burner, now is the time to take that leap and enter Discoveries! The first step is having a story you want to tell and the persistence to tell it. And we aren’t looking for perfection or polish, we are searching for promise first and foremost. What we would love to see in this year’s entries is creativity and a voice that stays with us. As we enter the seventh year of Discoveries, we are thrilled to see our community growing and more and more authors being published, but we are just as excited to read this year’s submissions and uncover the next generation of exceptional storytellers!”
Anna Davis, Curtis Brown Creative, and Ciara Finan, Curtis Brown
