The First 5K Novel Prize
Put together by the TypeTak team for fiction writers. Checked against the competition's terms on October 24, 2026. Read the full terms on Writers Online before you enter.
The First 5K Novel Prize is a novel competition run by Writing Magazine and Writers Online in the UK. You send the opening 5,000 words of an unpublished novel and a one-page synopsis. The winner gets £5,000 and a consultation with Piers Blofeld, a literary agent at Sheil Land Associates. The current round closes at 23:59 on December 31, 2026.
At a glance
| Deadline | December 31, 2026, 23:59 |
| What to send | First 5,000 words of an unpublished novel and a one-page synopsis, in one document |
| Who can enter | Unagented writers, anywhere in the world, writing in English for adult or YA readers |
| Entry fee | £27.50, or £24 for Writing Magazine subscribers and Writers Online members |
| Number of entries | No limit |
| First prize | £5,000 and a consultation with literary agent Piers Blofeld |
| Runner-up | £500 and a consultation with Monica Chakraverty of Cornerstones Literary Consultancy |
| Rights | You keep copyright in your manuscript |
Who can enter
The competition is open to any writer without a literary agent who has an unpublished novel manuscript in any genre for adult or young adult readers. Entries from outside the UK are welcome, but the manuscript has to be in English.
You can enter even if you've published before, whether you self-published or went the traditional route. What matters is that the manuscript you send hasn't been published in any form. The novel doesn't need to be finished to enter, since only the opening is judged, but you'll want the rest ready if an agent asks to read it.
How to prepare the entry
The terms ask for one document with these parts:
- A front page with your name, address, daytime phone number and email address. Judging here isn't anonymous, so your details go on the manuscript itself.
- The first 5,000 words of the novel, double-spaced, in a clear 12-point font such as Arial or Times New Roman.
- A one-page synopsis, single-spaced, in the same document.
Upload it as a PDF, DOC, DOCX, ODT, RTF or TXT file. You have to register and log in on Writers Online to enter.
Count the 5,000 words from the first line of chapter one, and stop at a scene break rather than mid-sentence if you can. Paste the opening into the word counter to check. For the synopsis, cover the whole plot, ending included, in a single page. Standard manuscript format covers the page layout.
Judging dates
| Stage | Date |
|---|---|
| Deadline | December 31, 2026 |
| Longlist of around 15 | By February 28, 2027 |
| Shortlist of 6 | By March 31, 2027 |
| Winner and runner-up announced | May 1, 2027 |
Everyone on the shortlist gets a 12-month Writers Online Membership Plus, and everyone on the longlist gets a 12-month Writers Online membership. The judges are appointed by Writing Magazine, and their decision is final.
Once the winners are notified, unplaced entries are free to go elsewhere. Winning entries can't be submitted elsewhere for 12 months without permission, because Writing Magazine keeps the right to publish them during that time.
The AI rule
Manuscripts generated by AI in any way aren't eligible. The terms do allow "Assistive AI" in the writing process, without defining it. If you used AI tools for something like spelling or grammar, read the terms closely and decide for yourself whether your use counts as assistive. We compare the wording across contests in Can you use AI to write a book?.
Get feedback in TypeTak before you enter
Only around 15 entries make the longlist, and the rest hear nothing about why. With 5,000 words to make an impression, it helps to know where your opening loses a reader before you pay the fee. TypeTak is an AI writing editor where you write alongside an agent, and its feedback reads your pages and points out what to fix.
- What to fix, and how. Press Feedback on the editor toolbar and it reads the passage on screen and answers in this order: Overall impression, Evaluation by aspect, Strengths, Areas to improve. Each point in the last part says what the problem is, why it trips the reader and how to fix it.
- An opening that agrees with itself. The Consistency card checks the passage against its own timeline and logic and against the lore you've written, with any conflicts at the top.
- Repeated words caught on the page. The Style card highlights repeated words, sentence habits and clichés right in the text.
You make the changes yourself. To keep feedback from leaving line edits in the text, turn off Page revision with feedback under Settings > Agent.
The First 5K terms bar AI-generated manuscripts but allow assistive AI. Read them before you decide how to use feedback on the pages you send.
FAQ
When is the First 5K Novel Prize deadline?
23:59 on December 31, 2026.
How much does it cost to enter?
£27.50 per entry, or £24 if you subscribe to Writing Magazine or have a Writers Online membership.
Can I enter from outside the UK?
Yes. International entries are welcome as long as the manuscript is in English.
Does the novel have to be finished?
The terms don't say it must be. Only the first 5,000 words and the synopsis are judged, but the synopsis has to cover the whole story.
Can I enter if I have an agent?
No. The competition is only for writers who aren't currently represented by a literary agent.
Revision log
- 2026-10-24 — First published
Sources
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