Brunel University of London and premium coffee house Caffè Nero have jointly opened submissions for the Nero New Writers Prize, a bold new award searching for the best original short stories from unpublished and aspiring writers from the UK and Ireland.
Entries must be an original, unpublished short story of up to 5,000 words in either fiction or non-fiction, and the Prize is open to adults who are citizens of, or resident in, the UK and Ireland.
Submissions will be judged anonymously on the quality of prose and readability by a panel chaired by author and journalist Sophie Elmhirst, winner of the 2024 Nero Gold Prize for Maurice and Maralyn. She is joined by two of Brunel’s Creative Writing faculty, Bernardine Evaristo, bestselling author and Professor of Creative Writing, and novelist and academic Helen Cullen, Reader in Creative Writing.
A shortlist of three writers will be announced in November, with the winner revealed in December 2025. The winner will receive £3,000, a scholarship for an MA in Creative Writing at Brunel, and an introduction to a literary agent. Each runner-up will receive £1,000 and a mentorship session with a member of Brunel’s Creative Writing faculty.
Andrew Jones, Vice-Chancellor, comments:
“We are incredibly proud to partner with Caffè Nero on this exciting venture to find, nurture, and champion the literary stars of the future. At Brunel, many of our Creative Writing team are award-winning authors themselves and we have a proud history of mentoring emerging voices and shaping the literary landscape. We believe talent should never be constrained by background or circumstance. Whether in education, the arts, or beyond, we want to ensure that everyone - regardless of where they come from – is given the opportunity to succeed. The Nero New Writing Prize is an extension of that belief.”
Submissions close at 5pm BST on 29 August 2025. The Prize is administered by the Booksellers Association.
For more information about the Nero New Writers Prize including the entry form for submissions, visit www.nerobookawards.com. To learn more about Brunel’s Creative Writing courses, recently voted 1st in London in the National Student Survey 25, visit www.brunel.ac.uk/creative-writing.