Competitions 2026 - I Am In Print Ltd

We love hosting our I Am Writing Competitions each year, knowing that so many of you pull your work together to submit to the TWELVE categories on offer! And with 120 titles appearing on our shortlists we know this must be a welcome boost to so many of you.

This year, after listening to your feedback about novels spanning genres, we expanded our range of categories to include Commercial Fiction and Non-Fiction, giving as many of you as possible the opportunity to get your work noticed by a literary agent or publisher.

Thank You To Our Category Sponsors

We owe a HUGE heartfelt thank you to our lovely friends at Little Tiger Press, sponsoring and judging the Picture Book category for the fifth year partnering with us. (Do keep your eye out for event days we run with this incredible team at the publishing HQ in London.)

Also a MASSIVE thank you to Naxos Creative for sponsoring our first ever retreat for the Commercial Fiction category prize. The lucky winner will receive a place on the How To Be A Happy And Successful Writer retreat on the Greek Isle of Naxos, and will be very well looked after for one week in September! (The very nice Naxos team has even offered our writing community a special discount – just use the promo code IAIPNC when booking any of their writing retreats and receive 10% off! Sun, sea, and all things books - bliss!)

Genre Breakdown

This year saw an amazing 2008 entries across all genres once again showcasing the enthusiasm and talent of our writing community. Each genre was broken down as follows:-

I Am Writing Commercial Fiction Competition
Entries received: 319

I Am Writing Chapter Book Competition
Entries received: 91

I Am Writing Crime/Thriller/Mystery Competition
Entries received: 142

I Am Writing Historical Competition
Entries received: 116

I Am Writing Horror Competition
Entries received: 43

I Am Writing Literary Fiction/Upmarket Competition
Entries received: 195

I Am Writing Middle Grade Competition
Entries received: 195

I Am Writing Non-Fiction Competition
Entries received: 32

I Am Writing Picture Books Competition
Entries received: 427 (Most of these contained 2 picture books per entry)

I Am Writing Romance Competition
Entries received: 137

I Am Writing Science Fiction/Fantasy Competition
Entries received: 186

I Am Writing Teen, YA, NA Competition
Entries received: 157

We are extremely grateful to all of the lovely people who sponsored one or multiple entries. This really does help keep these competitions accessible to those who otherwise would not be able to enter.

54 x free of charge places were donated by I Am In Print
8 x 50% discounted places were donated by I Am In Print

The wonderful writing community donated an additional 6 places making a grand total of 68 writers who were granted discounted or free of charge entry into a competition of their choice.

Thank you to everyone who sponsored a place!

Have You Made The Top Three?

The judges' choices are now in and author names have been matched to the Top Ten shortlisted titles in each category. Join us in congratulating all thirty-six Top Three places, along with any Highly Commended titles.

If you're celebrating online, remember to tag us at @iaminprint in all the usual places so we can share in your excitement!

Huge Congratulations!

Huge Congratulations to those of you who feature on the lists below! Some of you will be over the moon to get this far and celebrate in style, and rightfully so. For any of you that feel an ounce of disappointment, please don't be too discouraged. Celebrate knowing how well you have done. It is no mean feat to achieve recognition on any of these lists and the competition was strong.

I Am Writing COMMERCIAL FICTION Competition

Entrants were invited to submit the first 3,500 words of any type of Commercial Fiction novel for adults along with a one-page synopsis.

Judged by: Hayley Steed, Director and Literary Agent at Janklow and Nesbit.

1st Prize: A place on the How To Be A Happy and Successful Writer Retreat in Naxos, Greece plus a 30 minute online consultation with Hayley Steed

2nd Prize: A 15 minute online consultation with Hayley Steed

3rd Prize: A 15 minute online consultation with Hayley Steed

I Am Writing CHAPTER BOOKS Competition

Entrants were invited to submit the first 2,000 words of any type of chapter book along with a one-page synopsis.

Judged by: Emily Talbot, Literary Agent at United Agents

1st Prize: £250 plus a 30 minute online consultation with Emily Talbot

2nd Prize: A 15 minute online consultation with Emily Talbot

3rd Prize: A 15 minute online consultation with Emily Talbot

I Am Writing CRIME / THRILLER / MYSTERY Competition

Entrants were invited to submit the first 3,500 words of any type of crime / thriller / mystery novel for adults along with a one-page synopsis.

Judged by: Hattie Grünewald, Literary Agent at The Blair Partnership

1st Prize: £250 plus a 30 minute online consultation with Hattie Grünewald

2nd Prize: A 15 minute online consultation with Hattie Grünewald

3rd Prize: A 15 minute online consultation with Hattie Grünewald

I Am Writing HISTORICAL Competition

Entrants were invited to submit the first 3,500 words of any type of historical novel for adults along with a one-page synopsis.

Judged by: Steven Evans, Literary Agent and Company Manager at Eve White Literary Agency.

1st Prize: £250 plus a 30 minute online consultation with Steven Evans

2nd Prize: A 15 minute online consultation with Steven Evans

3rd Prize: A 15 minute online consultation with Steven Evans

I Am Writing HORROR Competition

Entrants were invited to submit the first 3,500 words of any type of adult horror novel along with a one-page synopsis.

Judged by: Marilia Savvides, Literary Agent at The Plot Agency

1st Prize: £250 plus a 30 minute online consultation with Marilia Savvides

2nd Prize: A 15 minute online consultation with Marilia Savvides

3rd Prize: A 15 minute online consultation with Marilia Savvides

I Am Writing LITERARY / UPMARKET Competition

Entrants were invited to submit the first 3,500 words of any type of Literary/Upmarket Fiction novel for adults along with a one-page synopsis.

Judged by: Maria Whelan, Literary Agent at Mushens Entertainment

1st Prize: £250 plus a 30 minute online consultation with Maria Whelan

2nd Prize: A 15 minute online consultation with Maria Whelan

3rd Prize: A 15 minute online consultation with Maria Whelan

I Am Writing MIDDLE GRADE Competition

Entrants were invited to submit the first 3,500 words of any type of Middle Grade novel along with a one-page synopsis.

Judged by: Camille Burns, Director and Literary Agent at Solas Literary Agency

1st Prize: £250 plus a 30 minute online consultation with Camille Burns

2nd Prize: A 15 minute online consultation with Camille Burns

3rd Prize: A 15 minute online consultation with Camille Burns

I Am Writing NON-FICTION Competition

Entrants were invited to submit the first 3,500 words of any type of Non-Fiction book. A one-page synopsis/proposal was also required for memoir and all other non-fiction. For non-fiction (excluding memoir) a one-page chapter summary was also needed.

Judged by: Sabhbh Curran, Literary Agent at Curtis Brown

1st Prize: £250 plus a 30 minute online consultation with Sabhbh Curran

2nd Prize: A 15 minute online consultation with Sabhbh Curran

3rd Prize: A 15 minute online consultation with Sabhbh Curran

I Am Writing PICTURE BOOKS Competition

Entrants were invited to submit up to two texts of no more than 600 words each, in prose or verse, that are perfect for sharing with children aged 3-6.

1st Prize: £250, a one-to-one Zoom editorial consultation with the Little Tiger editorial team to discuss the winning submission plus a £50 book token

2nd Prize: Written editorial feedback and a £30 book token

3rd Prize: Written editorial feedback and a £20 book token

I Am Writing ROMANCE Competition

Entrants were invited to submit the first 3,500 words of any type of YA or Adult romance novel along with a one-page synopsis. YA is classed as being suitable for age 15+ for this competition.

Judged by: Lauren Gardner, Literary Agent at Bell Lomax Moreton

1st Prize: £250 plus a 30 minute online consultation with Lauren Gardner

2nd Prize: A 15 minute online consultation with Lauren Gardner

3rd Prize: A 15 minute consultation with Lauren Gardner

I Am Writing SCI-FI / FANTASY Competition

Entrants were invited to submit the first 3,500 words of any type of YA or Adult Sci-Fi / Fantasy novel along with a one-page synopsis.

Judged by: Katie Blagden, Literary Agent at The Ampersand Agency

1st Prize: £250 plus a 30 minute online consultation with Katie Blagden

2nd Prize: A 15 minute online consultation with Katie Blagden

3rd Prize: A 15 minute online consultation with Katie Blagden

I Am Writing TEEN / YA / NA Competition

Entrants were invited to submit the first 3,500 words of any type of Teen, Young Adult or New Adult novel along with a one-page synopsis. Teen entries should be suitable for 13-14 year-olds, YA books for 15-18 year-olds and NA for 18 year-olds and readers in their early 20s.

Judged by: Alice Caprio, Literary Agent at Peters Fraser + Dunlop

1st Prize: £250 plus a 30 minute online consultation with Alice Caprio

2nd Prize: A 15 minute online consultation with Alice Caprio

3rd Prize: A 15 minute online consultation with Alice Caprio

FAQS

Most frequent questions and answers:

Who can I contact if I have a question about the competition?

Please email us at: competitions@iaminprint.co.uk if you cannot find the answer to your question in the FAQs or the competition guidelines when you click through to the entry platform.

If I shortlisted will my entry be published on the website?

No. We only publish the shortlist / entry title, and the winning authors’ names, not the actual manuscripts.

Where can I find the winners' announcement?

The winners are displayed on our competition page (from Monday 22 June 2026) on the www.iaminprint.co.uk website and across our social media platforms.

When will the competition reopen?

This competition runs every spring, so if you missed out this year please return in March 2027 for details about next year’s categories, judges and prizes! Subscribe to our email updates (click the ‘subscribe’ button below) to be first in the know!