The 27th Northern Writers' Awards, hosted by New Writing North at Northumbria University on Wednesday, celebrated 27 winners selected from over 1,500 entries, making it England's longest-running writer development programme. The event, hosted by BBC Radio 4's Nick Ahad, showcased the breadth of talent from across the North, with winners spanning multiple genres and age groups.
Winners and Categories
The awards included categories such as the Northern Writers' Award for Narrative Non-Fiction won by Désirée Reynolds (Sheffield), the Northern Debut Award for Fiction won by Nate Black (Redcar), and the Northern Debut Award for Young Adult Fiction won by Rhianna Frances (Sheffield). Poetry awards went to Antony Dunn (Leeds) for the Northern Writers' Award for Poetry, and Sally Baker (Yorkshire) and Carlton Rose (Manchester) for the Northern Debut Awards for Poetry. The Hachette Children's Novel Awards were won by Wendy Davis (North West) and Sabah Nawaz (Lancashire). The Great Northern Read Award went to Sarah Hunt (Whitley Bay) for her debut novel The Fox at the Door.
Support and Funding
The total package of support across all awards is approximately £75,000, including more than £64,000 in cash bursaries directly to winners. Partners include Northumbria University, Arts Council England, Hachette Children's Group, Channel 4, Tees Valley Combined Authority, Johnson & Alcock, Charlotte Aitken Trust, Curtis Brown, C&W ALCS, Newcastle University, writers Benjamin Myers and Andrew McMillan, and families and friends of Sid Chaplin, Matthew Hale and Eva Ibbotson.
Impact and Alumni Success
Since 2000, many winners have achieved notable success. In the past year, previous winner Vidyan Ravinathiran won the Forward Prize for Best Collection, and CD Rose won the Goldsmiths Prize for fiction. Rozie Kelly, a 2024 winner, was shortlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction with her novel Kingfisher. Tawseef Khan, a 2017 winner, has published both non-fiction (Muslim, Actually, 2021) and fiction (Determination, 2024). He told attendees: "I often say that everything I’ve achieved as a writer has come from New Writing North."
Future Plans: Centre for Writing and Publishing
Claire Malcolm, founder and Chief Executive of New Writing North, announced that a long-held dream of a Centre for Writing and Publishing in Newcastle will become a reality in 2028. She said: "This exciting venture will bring together New Writing North’s community of partners and supporters. The Centre will be a place for the enjoyment and making of writing in all its forms and be a place that brings and develops new creative jobs and commissions. There is nothing like this in the world. We will take stories from the North to the world and bring the world's stories back home." She added: "You will be able to grow up here and dream of being a writer or a publisher and not have to leave the North East to do so. We are pushing to rebalance the UK’s publishing scene and to end London dominance of one of our most important creative industries. My friends, the north is rising."
Voices from the Winners
Anya Adnan, winner of the Young Northern Writers’ Award (11-14) from Newcastle, said: "I don’t think I truly ever expected to win... I was ecstatic and, quite honestly, in shock to think someone had read my work and liked it. It gave me that little boost that I didn’t even know I needed and encouraged me to keep writing." Hidayate, winner of the Eva Ibbotson Prize for young writers using English as a second language, said: "Writing is the best way I know how to express myself." Sarah Hunt, winner of the Great Northern Read Award, said: "Sharing your work is incredibly daunting but being recognised by New Writing North, an organisation I’ve long admired, is such a confidence boost at this stage."
Judges and Partners
Poet John Glenday, a judge for the poetry awards, said: "I’ve known for some considerable time that the North of England is a hotbed of outstanding writers and outstanding poetry. It must be something to do with the water or the geology, or the distance from London. It was a privilege and an absolute joy to judge these Awards." Will Mackie, Senior Programme Manager Talent Development at New Writing North, said: "It’s a special kind of joy to announce the winners of the 2026 Northern Writers’ Awards and have the chance to tell the world about these wonderfully exciting writers. Our approach to working with writers is to give them time and resources to enrich their craft and to make bridges between them and the industry."
Tribute to Neil Warwick
The event closed with a tribute from Helen Dalby, editor-in chief at the Chronicle and Journal and acting Chair of New Writing North, honouring chairman Neil Warwick OBE, who passed away in December. She said: "Year after year, the Northern Writers' Awards remind us that extraordinary stories are being created across the North. They also remind us that talent is everywhere, even when opportunity is not. ... He understood that organisations are ultimately about people. He cared about the writers whose careers we support, the staff who deliver our programmes, and the wider communities we serve. He was immensely proud of the Northern Writers Awards and of the many writers whose journeys they helped to shape."
