The Next Big Story: Announcing the Shortlist

The shortlist is here!

What started as a wild idea to launch the world’s largest prize for new writers and break down barriers to the publishing industry turned into a history-making literary event—the largest of its kind—with over 22,500 writers vying for the $100,000 prize.

We couldn’t have expected such an incredible response to The Next Big Story, and we were bowled over by the high caliber of writing that our coaches read in the submissions. The time, dedication, and ingenuity displayed by entrants in those first three pages were nothing short of astounding. So, thank you, dear writers—for entering, believing in yourself, and taking that first step to making your writing dreams come true. We commend you!

Now, after much careful deliberation, we are excited to share the eight shortlisted entries.

The shortlisted writers—in their own words

Over the past week, our founder Louise Dean has met with the shortlisted writers over Zoom to find out more about the stories behind their stories! While the finalists will remain anonymous until the winner is announced, we were delighted to hear how The Next Big Story stoked a fire to finally get some words down.

These heartfelt admissions have been edited for the sake of anonymity. 

‘I don’t really have any connections, I didn’t do an MFA, I had no sort of entry into any sort of literary scene, and when I saw your contest I thought there was no chance, but... why not? You know? Why not? Let me throw my hat in. I’ve been watching your content and looking at The Novelry for years, and so when it popped up, I was like, Why not? No pitches, no hits, right? What do I have to lose?’

‘I’ve always dreamed of being a writer, but I think I would be lying if I said that I have a bin full of manuscripts that I’ve got halfway to writing and never finished. I’ve always had ideas in my head, but I think what I really needed, frankly, is exactly what this competition outlined, which is: give us 1,500 words. Both as a deadline, but also as something that forces you to distill an idea into something.’

‘It was a summer goal of mine to just wing it and do it, and I cannot believe I actually made it. I’m so excited! I’m gonna quit my job if I get first place, and write this book!’

‘The beauty of [the contest] is in the description. It’s just a start, it’s very achievable doing 3 pages, and 1,500 words is... you know, anyone can do that. It’s not a hardship finding the time to do that. There was no deadline before, so I would never get properly started, so it was a good motivation. I mentioned it to my wife and family. I’ve been talking about writing for a long time. Give it a go. Obviously, never, never expected to be here...’

‘Incredulous. That’s the word for it. Wow. I write daily, and over the weekends I try and do some more, but I do write daily. Whether it’s editing, whether it’s jotting down ideas, I try and put some time in. Over my family holiday, I had a bit more time, so that’s when I kind of finished writing... and then I submitted it.’

‘A month before the submission, I kept going back and forth... I’m my toughest critic. I just don’t know if it’s that good. And then I submitted it the day before [the contest ended]. I think it might have been the day of, and I was down to the 2-hour mark. And then I was like, I’m just gonna do it. My husband was like, “Just do it, you never know.” When I found out I was on the shortlist, we were jumping around! I would not be here if it wasn’t for just seeing that ad and him telling me to go for it.’

‘I think I saw it on TikTok. As soon as I saw it on TikTok, then I started seeing it on Instagram, and I started seeing it everywhere. I went to the website and I saw Yann Martel from Life of Pi, I saw Julia Quinn was also on the panel, and she wrote the Bridgerton series. I was looking at all the authors on the panel, and I was like, honestly, what would be the harm of just submitting it?’

‘The writing process is just so mysterious to me. Sometimes I’ll have a burst of inspiration and write for hours, and the next week I’ll struggle to come up with an idea. So when I saw the contest on Instagram, it just felt different. The people attached to it were incredible. I literally submitted with 30 minutes to the deadline because I thought, there’s just no way this would even get noticed. And now it’s so surreal. Seriously, things can change so fast.’

The first lines

Read the first line of each submission below, and click on the links to continue reading the entire entry. Plus, find out why our team of author coaches and publishing editors gave these entries top marks to advance them to the shortlist, where they were read and considered by our phenomenal judges.

Finalist 1

The first line of Finalist 1’s entry:

He wanted to teach me a lesson, so he left me on the side of the road somewhere in rural Missouri.

Editor Sorcha Rose says:

‘This was a gripping, atmospheric entry, grounding the reader in the setting through careful descriptions, but also quickly launching into the action and hooking you in. From the start, you feel like you are in the shoes of the characters as we move through the story, making you feel completely immersed in the narrative. The writer has done a great job at breadcrumbing intriguing and shocking details throughout the opening that offer up that all-important question the reader is reading to find out, as well as leading to a punchy ending that leaves you wanting more.’

Read the full entry and vote for Finalist 1.

Finalist 2

The first line of Finalist 2’s entry:

Grace Labeille is turning twenty on top of a man who does not love her and will not date her.

Writing coach Clare Mackintosh says:

‘I was drawn in from the very first line of this entry, which in just 20 words offers the reader emotional resonance, a relatable character, and a question that demands an answer. This beautifully written entry hints at a coming-of-age story with a unique take, and I’m eager to read the whole novel.’

Read the full entry and vote for Finalist 2.

Finalist 3

The first line of Finalist 3’s entry:

The birds stopped singing on the morning of the audit.

Writing coach Ella McLeod says:

’Compulsive and propulsive, this entry builds a world with ease and specificity, without being overly expositional. The writer trusts the reader to see the flowers that will bloom as a result of their carefully sown seeds and we, the reader, trust that the writer has planted them properly. The prose is balanced, sparse in all the ways you want from dystopia, but descriptive enough to create tension. Extraneous detail has been removed, we are told exactly what we need to know, and so we are kept very present in the narrative. This sense of immediacy only heightens how much we care about Cam. The stakes are high and the description of the bird—vulnerable and small—goes a long way in painting our protagonist’s picture; we root for him immediately.’

Read the full entry and vote for Finalist 3.

Finalist 4

The first line of Finalist 4’s entry:

If you ever wake up in a gilded carriage pulled by white horses with shimmering manes, don’t panic. You’re already doomed.

Writing coach Kate Riordan says:

‘This entry is a delight from start to finish. As highly polished as a gem without feeling overwrought, the writer doesn’t put a foot wrong. From the heroine’s weary cynicism to the hearts-and-flowers high school setting, it’s a gorgeous confection that wears its intelligence very lightly.’

Read the full entry and vote for Finalist 4.

Finalist 5

The first line of Finalist 5’s entry:

You can fit the entire cremated remains of a 5ft 2” woman inside a hot water bottle.

Writing coach Kate Davies says:

‘This story had me hooked from the (excellent) first sentence: why are the cremated remains of a 5’ 2” woman in a hot water bottle? The opening paragraph confidently announces the tone of the novel: this is a funny book, but it’s about grief. Daniel, who we meet using his dead mum as a travel pillow, is so desperate to take his mother’s ashes to Kenya that he’s stolen them from his father’s house. Here we have a brilliantly realized main character, the promise of an action-packed plot, and witty, well-crafted prose. I can’t wait to read what promises to be a very funny (and moving) novel.’

Read the full entry and vote for Finalist 5.

Finalist 6

The first line of Finalist 6’s entry:

Every night for almost a month after her son’s suicide on TikTok live, their cat waits.

Editor Gillian Holmes says:

’I was immediately gripped by the shocking first line. Then the emotional portrayal of grief as the main character remembers her dead son. It’s a skill to bring a character to life so clearly in so few words. And because it’s done so well, when the boy’s death is described, I had a tear in my eye because I had started to care for him—and for his mother. The final line switches the mood again, bringing a hint of what’s to come.’

Read the full entry and vote for Finalist 6.

Finalist 7

The first line of Finalist 7’s entry:

The sheep didn’t care that the dictator was dying.

Writing coach Tara Conklin says:

‘As soon as I read the first line, I knew this submission was special. Immediately I felt drawn in by the details of time and place—Vallehermosa, 1974—and by the juxtaposition of sweet, mindless sheep against the idea of a dying dictator. Light versus dark, good versus evil, life versus death. I knew this was a voice I wanted to follow and each successive sentence and paragraph drew me further into those sheep-studded hills of Spain with our narrator, a man with aching knees and a foolish dog, who makes a startling discovery. This is the brilliant start of a novel I would love to read.’

Read the full entry and vote for Finalist 7.

Finalist 8

The first line of Finalist 8’s entry:

Harlow had never known what it meant to be clean.

Editor Craig Leyenaar says:

‘This story demonstrated visceral world-building alongside an immediate sense of character literally starting at rock bottom. This has everything a great fantasy novel needs to grab the reader’s attention and it made me want to read on to find out what was going to happen next.’

Read the full entry and vote for Finalist 8.

Who won The Next Big Story?

One grand winner scooped the $100,000 prize (or £75,000 in the U.K.) and, along with the seven runners-up, took home The Finished Novel Course to create, write, and edit their novel with our all-star cast of writing coaches and former Big Five editors, working toward direct submission to our trusted literary agencies.

The public vote helped guide our panel of judges as they made the final decision, including Emma Roberts, actress and Belletrist book club cofounder; Zosia Mamet, actress and author of My First Popsicle: An Anthology of Food and Feelings; Julia Quinn, New York Times bestselling author of the Bridgerton series; Carley Fortune, New York Times bestselling author of This Summer Will Be Different, Meet Me at the Lake, and Every Summer After; Jackie Oshry, co-host of The Toast and author of The Camper and the Counselor; Zibby Owens, podcast host of Totally Booked with Zibby, author, publisher, and bookstore owner; Yann Martel, Booker Prize-winning author of Life of Pi; social media influencers and BookTokers Brady Lockerby and Kimmy Nwokorie; and our illustrious judging chair, Tayari Jones, Women’s Prize for Fiction-winning author of An American Marriage.

The winner of The Next Big Story

The Next Big Story prize was launched on May 1, 2025, with the mission to find a new voice in fiction and kickstart the career of a writer who might otherwise never have dared to put pen to paper. With a grand prize of $100,000 (£75,000 in the U.K.), our aim at The Novelry was to reverse the usual risk/reward scenario for writers and nudge people to get just three pages down to start their story.

It worked! The Next Big Story became the world’s largest writing prize with over 22,500 entries. The team at The Novelry worked around the clock to select a longlist and a shortlist before our panel of esteemed judges, chaired by Women’s Prize for Fiction winner Tayari Jones and guided by the public vote, chose the winner from our outstanding final eight.

You can find out who scooped The Next Big Story prize in 2025 right here.

Writing fiction brings a little bit of magic and mischief to our everyday lives, and writers become authors by turning up to the page, day by day. To those who entered The Next Big Story 2025, we salute you! To those who voted, thank you for reading. To our team and the panel of judges who read, read, and read again the entries, we thank you for being part of making a few dreams come true.