£70,000 Libraro Prize launches in partnership with Hachette UK to discover emerging literary talent and standout stories

The reader-led Prize aims to break down the barriers of the traditional publishing process

• New competition to discover the next big English language fiction author from community-driven platform, Libraro.
• Winning author will receive a £50,000 prize package from Libraro and book deal with Hachette UK.
• Two readers will also be selected for the Reader Referral and Reader Engagement Prizes (£10,000 per prize).

19 January 2026 – Libraro, a community-driven digital platform which aims to remove barriers from the traditional book publishing process, has today launched The Libraro Prize: an international award worth £70,000 for adult and crossover YA fiction written in English.

Offering a new way for writers to share their work and to be discovered, The Libraro Prize – run in partnership with leading international publisher, Hachette UK, and book recommendation platform LoveReading – is unique in giving readers an active role in deciding what gets published. Writers upload their full manuscripts to the platform and readers champion their favourite submissions to form a shortlist of six.

The winner package includes £50,000 from Libraro, and a book deal with Hachette UK. Meanwhile, two Reader Prizes worth £10,000 will be also awarded: one for the reader who refers the winning author to the platform, and the other for the reader who engages most actively with the writers’ submissions.

Also announced today are some of the judges who will select the overall winner, including: bestselling Quercus author, Elly Griffiths; Deborah Maclaren, Managing Director, LoveReading, and [confirm descriptor] award-winning book blogger, Zubs J. Malik (@zubscovered). Tasked with reading the six shortlisted manuscripts, these industry professionals will be looking for fresh new voices and genre-defying fiction with the potential to become the next big bestseller.

The competition is open to all entrants aged 18 or over, worldwide, regardless of previous publishing history or professional representation. This approach reflects Libraro’s mission to democratise publishing, offering writers a new way to showcase their work and build their confidence while increasing their publishing prospects within an inclusive and innovative environment.

Entrants will have the opportunity to receive constructive feedback from readers, whilst shortlisted authors will be offered professional support to help them package and format their submission before their work is shared with the final judges: putting them in the strongest possible position to approach publishers and agents, even if they don’t win.

• Entries to The Libraro Prize open on Monday 19^th January 2026, when the Reader Referral Prize will also commence. Both Prizes will close on Sunday 15^th February 2026 (Midnight GMT).
• Readers will be able to engage with, and champion, their favourite entries from Thursday 19^th February until Friday 20^th March 2026.
• The shortlist will be announced on Tuesday 21^st April 2026, with the overall winner announced on Wednesday 13^th May 2026.

David Roche, Chairman at Libraro, said: “The Libraro Prize was created to sidestep the traditional barricades of the book industry and put power in the hands of writers and readers. By partnering with Hachette UK, we’re combining the reach and expertise of a world-class publisher with a genuinely democratic, reader-led discovery process. We are excited to embark on this journey and uncover a new voice and ground-breaking bestseller.”

Ant Simnica, Digital Operations Director at Hachette UK, said: “Discovering and nurturing new writing talent sits at the heart of what we do at Hachette UK. We’re proud to partner with Libraro on a prize that widens access to opportunity, as part of our commitment to Changing the Story, and to help ensure that exceptional new manuscripts find the readership – and the publishing support – they deserve.”

In addition to its partnerships with Hachette UK and LoveReading, The Libraro Prize is supported by a range of organisations that share its aims to democratise reading and writing, and to recognise the importance of building community and connection. They are: Exiled Writers Ink, Frontline, Club, London Writers’ Salon, NAWE, New Writing North, Pen to Print, The Reading Agency, Writers & Artists and Writing West Midlands.

For more information about The Libraro Prize and further details on how to enter please visit: https://www.libraro.com/the-libraro-prize-2026.