- Leeds-based student Erwin Joyce Canlubo has won the inaugural Nero New Writers Prize in Association with Brunel University of London, receiving £3,000, a scholarship for an MA in Creative Writing at Brunel and an introduction to a literary agent
- This award for new writers from premium coffee house Caffè Nero and Brunel University of London aims to discover and support the most exciting untapped writing talent in the UK and Ireland
- Judges including Bernardine Evaristo and Nero Gold Prize winner Sophie Elmhirst declared Canlubo the winner in a field of more than 700
The Nero Book Awards, in association with Brunel University of London, tonight announce the winner and runners up of the inaugural Nero New Writers Prize, a bold new initiative celebrating the best unpublished short stories from emerging writers across the UK and Ireland.
After the success of the Nero Book Awards, now in their third year and established as a key fixture in the literary calendar, the Awards have been expanded to seek out and support the most promising untapped writing talent and support them to become the writing stars of the future.
There was an overwhelming response to the call for submissions of short stories for the competition. The judging panel chaired by Sophie Elmhirst, Sunday Times bestselling author and winner of the 2024 Nero Gold Prize, along with Bernardine Evaristo, Professor of Creative Writing at Brunel, and Helen Cullen, Reader in Creative Writing, had a very difficult choice to make to select three outstanding entries that exemplify originality, literary excellence and promise.
From more than 700 submissions, the 19-year old student Erwin Joyce Canlubo, from The Philippines, was declared the winner. Their story, ‘We Don’t Say I Love You in This House’, was described as ‘powerful’, ‘innovative’ and ‘very confidently executed’ by the judging panel. It tells of an oppressive family environment, where rules affixed to the fridge door serve to control behaviours and stifle discord, ambitions and desires. For their win, Canlubo receives £3,000, a scholarship for an MA in Creative Writing at Brunel University of London and an introduction to a literary agent.
Canlubo is joined on the shortlist by the 71-year-old barrister and columnist Joyanna Lovelock, who is based in London. ‘The Side of The Light’ is a touching and tender fictional account of a widow who finds love with a younger man after a chance encounter while gazing at a J.M.W. Turner painting in London’s National Gallery. As their connection grows, the woman, Eleanor, rediscovers her senses of desire, spontaneity and self. Judges described Lovelock’s story as one of ‘emotional complexity’ and ‘deft precision’.
The final shortlisted entry is ‘Invisible Storm’ by Lincoln-based picture book writer-illustrator Hương Nguyen, who also works part-time in a café. In her non-fiction story, Nguyen recalls growing up in Northern Vietnam in the 1980s as one of four daughters, at a time when boys were preferred and a two-child policy was in effect. Suffering from seemingly unexplainable fatigue, a diagnosis after moving to the UK reveals the presence of an autoimmune disease. Against the advice of doctors, Nguyen gives birth to a second healthy child: a daughter. ‘Invisible Storm’ is a story of hardship, the trials we face in life and how joy can be found amidst the most challenging of circumstances. The judges described Nguyen’s writing as ‘impressively fearless, as though nothing is off limits’.
For their place on the shortlist, Lovelock and Nguyen will each receive £1,000 and a mentorship session with a member of Brunel’s Creative Writing faculty. All three shortlisted stories will be published at www.nerobookawards.com.
Chair of judges and 2024 Nero Gold Prize winner Sophie Elmhirst said of Erwin Joyce Canlubo’s winning story:
“It is a genuine thrill to come across a story like ‘We Don’t Say I Love You in This House’. Erwin Joyce Canlubo displays a confidence and originality in form and tone, and navigates the painful territory of family conflict with sensitivity, economy and a bold wit. Their voice is already distinct on the page - a voice you urgently want to hear again. The point of this prize is to find brilliant new writers and to encourage and support their future careers. I have no doubt that Canlubo has much to explore and offer, and I'm hungry to read what they write next.”
Fellow judge Helen Cullen, Reader in Creative Writing at Brunel University of London, added:
“It has been an honour to read the entries to this competition, and to be exposed to such a diverse range of truly talented writers with great potential. I hope that each person who entered the competition continues to dedicate time to their craft and moves forward with confidence. My advice for anyone disappointed to not win on this occasion is that they should keep the faith, keep going, and embrace all the opportunities they can to share their work. I wish them all the very best.”
All entries were read with the authors’ names and details removed and judged purely on the quality of the prose and readability by the judging panel, following an open submissions process in August 2025. The award seeks the best original and unpublished short story of up to 5,000 words in either fiction or non-fiction, from authors who are citizens of, or resident in, the UK and Ireland.
The Nero New Writers Prize in Association with Brunel University of London runs alongside the prestigious, highly successful Nero Book Awards, to uncover the best and brightest untapped writing talent and support them as they develop into the writing stars of the future. The Prize is administered by the Booksellers Association.
Gerry Ford, Founder and CEO, Caffè Nero, said:
“We have long been champions of emerging artistic talent across the arts, including our programme for up-and-coming musicians, which has now run successfully for many years. Establishing the Nero Book Awards took this work further to support authors, and extending them now to include unpublished writers broadens again the many ways Caffè Nero encourages the brightest artistic talent across the UK and Ireland. I wish all three writers the best for their writing careers, that they will persist and find further success. I hope their recognition through the Nero New Writers Prize will be a key moment in all their journeys. Perhaps among them is a future Nero Gold Prize winner.”
Professor Andrew Jones, Vice-Chancellor and President, Brunel University of London, added:
“We are proud to continue our partnership with Caffè Nero as we launch this new award that supports and celebrates emerging, unpublished talent. The outstanding quality of the entries demonstrates the calibre of new and undiscovered writers across the UK and Ireland. I offer my warm congratulations to Erwin Joyce Canlubo, and I look forward to welcoming you to Brunel as you continue your literary journey with some of the most respected writers in the industry.”
The Nero Book Awards are one of the leading literary prizes in the UK and Ireland with previous winners of the coveted Gold Prize including The Bee Sting by Paul Murray and Maurice and Maralyn by Sophie Elmhirst. The Nero New Writers Prize and Nero Book Awards are part of the family-owned coffee house group’s long-standing programme to sponsor and encourage the arts and culture in its coffee houses and communities where it operates.
For more information about the Nero New Writers Prize in association with Brunel University of London, including the entry form for submissions, visit www.nerobookawards.com.
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