Orion’s Trapeze announces shortlist for Mo Siewcharran Prize 2025

11 September 2025 – Trapeze, an imprint of The Orion Publishing Group, is delighted to announce the shortlist of six writers in contention for the Mo Siewcharran Prize which this year is focused on non-fiction under the theme ‘Reclaiming History.’

This year’s shortlist comprises of entries that span the breadth of non-fiction writing and blend history, memoir and personal narrative, and which cover topics such as the Indian Ocean, Islamaphobia, the concept of Reputation as it exists within South Asian culture, and more.

Now in its sixth year, the writing competition runs as part of Hachette UK’s The Future Bookshelf and is named in memory of NielsenIQ BookData’s former director of marketing and communications. The prize is sponsored by John Seaton, Mo Siewcharran’s husband and co-founder of the Prize, and NielsenIQ BookData. 

The prize was created to shine a light on Black, Asian, Mixed Heritage and Ethnically Diverse unpublished writers. This year, the prize is being hosted by Trapeze and is focused on non-fiction writing.

The shortlist was chosen by a panel of judges, which includes historian and author Olivette Otele; author and award-winning CEO and founder of Black British Book Festival, Selina Brown; historian and Trapeze author, Paula Akpan; literary agent at the Madeleine Milburn Literary Agency, Emma Bal; and cultural historian, author, and founder of the Free Books Campaign, Sofia Akel. The winner and runners-up will be selected by the judges from the shortlisted entries.

John Seaton, sponsor and co-founder of the prize said this of the selection: ‘The restless genre itinerant Mo Siewcharran Prize has alighted on non-fiction this year and has done so with elan. The subject ‘Reclaiming History’ offered the most exciting possibilities and these have been richly fulfilled by this dazzling shortlist. The range and originality are extraordinary, a reminder, if one were needed, of how much there is to be explored for the first time, or, to be looked at again from a fresh, and sometimes personal, vantage point.’

Emma Bal, literary agent and prize judge said the following: ‘I really enjoyed reading all the projects on the longlist which were full of so much promise and potential. The passion that each writer brought to their historical inquiry was keenly felt and I hope they all continue their important and timely work.’

The shortlist (in alphabetical order by surname):

Filling in the Blanks by Antonia Antrobus-Higgins

When Will We Talk About Islamophobia? by Imran Awan

I Spit on Honour by Sara Hussain

The Ties that Bind by Yin F Lim

Sunana by Zahrah Nesbitt-Ahmed

Tokyo Boys by Rajan Sharma

The winner will be announced at the prize ceremony on 2^nd October 2025.

The winner will receive £2,500 prize money, plus a follow-up online mentoring session with an Orion editor, an introductory meeting with a literary agent, and a hamper of Trapeze books. The winner’s entry will also be taken forward to the acquisitions meeting and considered for publication.

One runner up will receive £1,500 prize money, plus a mentoring session with an Orion editor and a hamper of books. A second runner up will receive £750 prize money, as well as a hamper of books.

To find out more about The Future Bookshelf and their other initiatives, please follow this link: https://www.thefuturebookshelf.co.uk/landing-page/the-future-bookshelf/the-future-bookshelf-opportunities/the-mo-siewcharran-prize/