Twelve writers longlisted for fantasy-focused Mo Siewcharran Prize

Hodderscape has announced the 12 writers in contention for the Mo Siewcharran Prize which this year is focused on fantasy.

Now in its fifth year, the writing competition runs as part of Hachette UK’s The Future Bookshelf and is named in memory of Nielsen BookData’s former director of marketing and communications. The prize is sponsored by John Seaton, Mo Siewcharran’s husband and co-founder of the Prize, and Nielsen BookData.  

The prize aims to shine a light on unpublished fiction writers from Black, Asian, mixed heritage and minority ethnic backgrounds. This year, the prize is being hosted by Hodderscape and is focused on writers in the fantasy genre.  

The longlist has been chosen by members of the Hodder & Stoughton editorial team and employees of other companies within Hachette UK, as well as members of Hachette UK’s THRIVE network.  

Molly Powell, publishing director at Hodderscape, said: "We were blown away by the quality of entries to the Mo Siewcharran prize this year, as well as the variety of fantasy stories that have been selected for the longlist: from cozy fantasy, to the truly epic, to the gothic, and with entrants writing across young adult and adult." 

A shortlist of up to six writers will be chosen by a panel of judges, including Powell. Among her fellow judges are Natasha Qureshi, commissioning editor at Hodderscape, authors Saara El-Arifi and Sangu Mandanna, literary agent Edwina de Charnace of MMB Creative, founder and c.e.o. of subscription box FairyLoot Anissa de Gomery, and the co-chair of Hachette UK’s THRIVE network Feyi Oyesanya. The winner and runners-up will be selected by the judges from the shortlisted entries.

The longlist

• The One Day King by Daniel Adediran
• The Devotee by H D Ahmed
• The Five Realms by Olivia Dean
• Porcelain and Power by Tasha Dhanraj
• The Call of the Empyrean by Robert Gardiner
• Sandstorm by Aliyah Goga
• The Master of the Valley by Cassie Leung
• The Treaties We Break by Tina Shah
• The Necromancer by Adetola Shaw
• Modern Day Dragons by Ana Sun
• Deity of a Drowning Realm by K Andrea White
• All Storms A Labyrinth by Phoebe Yemi Ara

The shortlist announcement will take place on 11th September 2024, and the winner will be announced at the prize ceremony on 25th September 2024.   

The winner will receive £2,500 prize money, plus a detailed letter from a Hodderscape editor giving feedback on their entry and a follow-up online mentoring session. They will also have introductory meetings with at least two different literary agents, sessions with the Hodder & Stoughton rights team and marketing and publicity teams, and a ticket to London Book Fair 2025. The winner’s entry will also be taken forward to the acquisitions meeting and considered for publication "with a competitive advance against royalties", the publisher said. 

One runner up will receive £1,500 prize money, plus a detailed letter from a Hodderscape editor giving feedback on their entry, and a hamper of Hodderscape books. A second runner up will receive £750 prize money, as well as a hamper of Hodderscape books.