Morley Prize for Unpublished Writers of Colour

An annual prize jointly presented by Morley College London and the Rachel Mills Literary Agency, awarded to a previously unpublished aspiring authors of colour. 

The prize is intended to nurture and provide opportunities for aspiring novelists of colour, promote diverse fiction across the broader literary landscape of Britain and continue Morley College’s long history of educational excellence, community engagement, and support for social justice.

We are delighted to annouce that for 2022, as well as being open for works of fiction, we are now broadening the scope to include Life Writing and Creative Non fiction. For this new added component, we would ask that all writing should have some kind of personal story-telling element but the scope itself is unlimited. Think anything from Roxanne Gay, or Renni Eddo Lodge, to Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Perez, or Caste by Isabel Wilkerson.

MORLEY PRIZE FOR UNPUBLISHED WRITERS SHORTLIST

The judges are delighted to announce the publication of the shortlist for the Morley Prize this morning, 27th September. Congratulations to those listed, and for those who were not, please note that the judges were hugely impressed by the quality of the longlist and commended those who reached that stage.

Winner to be announced at Prize event on 20th October

All applicants, successful or not, will receive confirmation via email this morning. The judges decisions are final.

FICTION

Tania Duckworth - The Barefoot Girl

Chima Itabor - Mules of the World

Hanna Thomas Uose - Who Wants To Live Forever

FQ Yeoh - The Labelled Bones

NON-FICTION

Emma Korantema Hanson - Moody

Durre Shahwar - Words I Was Taught

MORLEY PRIZE FOR UNPUBLISHED WRITERS LONGLIST

The judges are delighted to announce the publication of the longlist for the Morley Prize this morning, 5th September. Congratulations to those listed, and for those who were not, please do not be discouraged and keep writing!

Shortlist to be announced on 27th September

All applicants, successful or not, will receive confirmation via email this morning. The judges decisions are final, and we cannot provide feedback to applicants at this stage.

FICTION

Chika Austin - In My Friday Feelings

Tania Duckworth - The Barefoot Girl

Anita Goveas - Green Chutney Sandwiches

Chima Itabor - Mules of the World

Ash Milan - I Sang with Elvis

Kiah Olowu - Infection

Ploy Radford - The Gifts of War

Hanna Thomas Uose - Who Wants To Live Forever

FQ Yeoh - The Labelled Bones

NON-FICTION

Emma Korantema Hanson - Moody

Lena Lee - Girl Uprooted

Durre Shahwar - Words I Was Taught

 

Prize co-founder Nelle Andrew, Literary Agent at RML and Agent of the Year at the British Book Awards 2021 says:

“The illustrious, wise and supremely talented Toni Morrison once wrote: “If you are free then you need to free somebody else. If you have power then it is your job to empower somebody else.”

My name is Nelle Andrew and, as a Literary Agent who is also a woman of colour, I have made my way in the world when those who looked like me and had the same background as me were few and far between. I am thrilled to say that this is no longer the case (although in my opinion, publishing still has a way to go before the balance is completely achieved).

One of the most exciting parts my job is to find exciting new talent, empower arresting new voices and advocate for those who cannot advocate for themselves. I have had the privilege to work with many people from across many backgrounds in my career, and now with the help of Morley College, this is the latest initiative in which I hope to achieve that ambition Toni Morrison advocated so many years ago.

The Morley Prize for Unpublished Writers of Colour is a brilliant opportunity to source talent and give a platform to incredible new voices who may not have had the exposure or encouragement to enter the Publishing Industry and talent pool before. Sponsored by Rachel Mills Literary, the prize seeks to encourage anyone who is has not been published, and is not agented regardless of age or experience, to submit either an extract of a novel whether it is unfinished or finished for the chance to win an insight and editorial feedback from myself as well as prize money for the best piece of work from an author of a BME background.

The winner will receive a £500 prize, but the real reward here is that those shortlisted will be given individual editorial consultations with an agent on their work, and the chance to ask any questions about the agent/editorial process and how to secure an agent - opportunities available to very few budding authors, but advice and connections which for those without access might mean the difference in achieving a career as a writer.  

The aim of this prize is to discover and empower the next pool of talent from diverse British backgrounds to continue and reignite the rich cultural history we have of diverse authors who defined and distinguished the writing cannon of authors from Octavia E Spencer to Zadie Smith; from Andrea Levy to Sara Collins and Candice Carty-Williams.

Whether this is a long held dream or a recent aspiration, we encourage you to enter. We cannot wait to discover you.”

 

Prize Judges

NELLE ANDREW is lead judge and a literary agent at Rachel Mills Literary (RML). She has been nominated for Agent of the Year 2018 and 2021 and was a Bookseller Rising Star in 2016. She represents a raft of bestselling and award winning authors from Sara Collins and Elizabeth Day to Bryony Gordon, Heidi Perks and Ayisha Malik.

MARIANNE TATEPO is lead non-fiction judge. She is a non-fiction Publishing Director at Penguin Random House UK and has been a reader for numerous competitions, prizes and organisations, including: The Literary Consultancy, WriteNow (PRH), the B4ME 4th Estate/Guardian Prize (HarperCollins), #Merky Books New Writers’ Prize (PRH) as well as Spread the Word’s Life Writing Prize and London Short Story Prize. She is the founder of publishing community and mentoring network Black Agents & Editors’ Group.

LOUISE HARE is a novelist whose debut This Lovely City was longlisted for the HWA Goldsboro Award and the RSL Ondaatje Prize as well as being selected by Sara Cox for the Between the Covers Book Club.

BILLY. K. KAHORA is the Lecturer in Creative and Professional Writing at the University of Bristol, former Managing Editor of Kwani Trust, and contributing editor with the Chimurenga Chronic. He is author of short fiction and the book The True Story Of David Munyakei (2012), and editor of the volume The Cape Cod Bicycle War and Other Youthful Follies (2019).

AYISHA MALIK is an author whose adult novels Sofia Khan is Not Obliged, The Other Half of Happiness, and This Green and Pleasant Land were met with critical acclaim. Ayisha was a WHSmith Fresh Talent Pick and Sofia Khan has been a CityReads London book. Her children’s books include a re-telling of Jane Austen's Mansfield Park and The Seven Sisters. She is winner of The Diversity Book Awards and has been shortlisted for The Asian Women of Achievement Award, Marie Claire's Future Shapers' Awards and the h100 Awards. Her latest novel, The Movement, is out July 2022.