🎉 Meet the winner of The Next Big Story 2025!

The Next Big Story 2025

Meet the winner!

Highlights

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.

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. Our bestselling author coaches read and reviewed every single entry, passing the high-scoring entries to our team of experienced editors, all of them former Big Five publishing professionals, to vet the entries and select a longlist and a shortlist. Next, we asked our panel of esteemed judges, guided by the public vote, to choose the winner from an outstanding shortlist.

Chaired by Women’s Prize for Fiction winner Tayari Jones, this year’s panel of judges pored through the shortlist to make the final selection.

Stella Donovan, the winner of The Next Big Story 2025, says: ‘When I saw the ad for the contest, I figured the odds of even making it through even an initial round of judging in such a huge competition were slim. The support, encouragement, and transparency embedded into this whole process has truly shown me that The Novelry is an organization run by writers for writers. Aside from the financial aspect of this recognition, I’m deeply honored to have been selected by such a prestigious panel of judges. I truly encourage anyone who has a story that won’t let them go to keep writing, take a big swing, and bet on yourself. As I’ve learned over the last few weeks, anything is possible.’

We’d like to thank everyone who entered for daring to start something we hope they’ll now be encouraged to continue. 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 making dreams come true.

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FAQs

Take a few minutes to find out more about entering the prize here.
Please read our complete Terms and Conditions below you enter.
Yes! Members of The Novelry are eligible to enter!

One winner will take home £75,000.

Can I enter 1,500 words from anywhere in the story?

No. It should be the first 1,500 words, as we need to see your story from the start.

Who is eligible to enter?

The Next Big Story is open only to individuals who are at least eighteen (18) years of age and the age of majority in their local jurisdiction and who are not represented by a literary agent. Individuals who reside in OFAC-sanctioned countries or who appear on the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Specially Designated Nationals List are not eligible to participate in the Sweepstakes. The Sweepstakes is otherwise void wherever prohibited or restricted by applicable law, including any territories that require translation of these Official Rules (for example and without limitation, Belarus, Burma, China, Cote D’Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Cuba, Democratic Republic of Congo, Iran, Iraq, Liberia, North Korea, Russia, Sudan, South Sudan, Syria, Zimbabwe, and the Crimea, Luhansk and Donetsk regions of Ukraine).By entering, participants agree that they are in compliance with the legal requirements of their place of residence.

See Terms & Conditions. Members of The Novelry are eligible too!

Participation is subject to all applicable laws and regulations. This contest is void where prohibited.

Can I enter non-fiction, poetry, a short story, a memoir, or a script?

We will only accept works of fiction that set up the opening to a long-form story—a novel—and allow us to get a sense of a big story. Have a read of the first pages of fiction novels to see how they work. This article will help you learn some great ways to start a story.

Can my entry have been previously published or self-published?

Your entry must not have been previously published anywhere, on a blog, social media, or on any website. You must not publish or share it during the period of the competition.

What kind of genres of fiction do you accept?

From children’s fiction to adult fiction. Read more about the genres of fiction here.

Can I share my entry on social media or send it to friends?

No. All entries will be judged blind and your participation must remain anonymous during the period of the competition.

Can I enter in another language?

No. We’re sorry, but the prize is for English language entries only.

Can I use AI tools to create or generate my entry?

Please do not use AI tools to assist you in the creation of your entry or to generate your entry. You may find our AI Policy useful for further information.

Can I enter more than once?

You can submit limitless multiple entries.

Can I enter anonymously or with a friend?

No. Your entry should be your own individual work. Please use your real name on the entry form but do not include it anywhere on your written work.

Do I need to have a full manuscript?

No. We want to get people writing, and should you make our shortlist, we will support you to write the full-length novel.

Can I contact The Novelry or the judges about my submission?

No. We want to preserve anonymity for fair and impartial judging of the entries so please do not contact our team, the judges, or the administrators.

What happens if my 3 pages are more than 1,500 words?

It’s best to stop at the end of a sentence rather than to hit exactly 1,500 words. Entries exceeding 1,500 words will not be eligible.

What happens if I am successful?

We will notify you by email, so please double-check your email address is correctly typed before submitting. You may wish to sign up to our newsletter to receive news, updates, and notifications. All entrants will be required to participate in publicity and media. See our Terms & Conditions below for full details of our requirements.

Is my country included?

Do I retain copyright?

All entrants retain their copyright to their creative work, granting us permission to feature their entry ("submission) on our website for public voting should they be shortlisted for the prize.

VOID WHERE PROHIBITED. Open to entrants 18 years or older where permitted by law. Begins 5/1/2025 at 12:01 a.m. ET and ends 7/31/2025 at 11:59 p.m. ET. One (1) Grand Prize available: US$100,000. Eight (8) Short List Prizes available: The Finished Novel Course (ARV: US$4,995). Subject to Official Rules located at https://www.thenovelry.com/prize#Ts-and-Cs. Sponsor: The Novelry Group Limited, 6th Floor Charlotte Building, 17 Gresse Street, London, United Kingdom, W1T 1QL. Administrator: The Novelry USA, Inc., 447 Broadway, New York, NY 10013, USA.