Lightship International Literary Prizes help develop new writing. Our honorary patrons are Costa Book Award Winner, Christopher Reid, Sir Andrew Motion, Lindsay Clarke and Man Booker Prize Winner Hilary Mantel. Our short story, poetry and flash fiction judges are Toby Litt, Jackie Kay and Kachi A. Ozumba. For more info, please go to: http://www.lightshippublishing.co.uk/
We have launched a unique international initiative called First Chapter that we are keen to promote to writers all over the world. Would-be novelists, writing in English, are invited to submit the first chapter of their novel (up to 5,000 words) into a competition judged by award-winning author Tibor Fischer, literary agent Simon Trewin, and the publisher of Alma Books, Alessandro Gallenzi. The prize is a year of mentoring from these three professionals, and if the finished novel is as fantastic as the first chapter, representation, a publishing contract, and crucially, a platform to launch a debut novel.
In what are dark days for the publishing industry and writers First Chapter will be a fabulous opportunity for somebody with a lot of talent to launch a literary novel.