Wilson wins inaugural Penguin Michael Joseph Undiscovered Writers Prize

Five by Five by Claire Wilson has been announced as the winner of the inaugural Penguin Michael Joseph Undiscovered Writers Prize, and will be published by the imprint in 2024.

The prize, which launched in September 2022, was set up to seek new writers from backgrounds that are underrepresented in publishing. That includes ethnicity, sexuality, gender identity, disability or socio-economic background. In its initial year it has focused on crime and thriller fiction.

As the winner, Wilson receives a publishing contract with PMJ, as well as representation from David Headley at DHH, who was on the judging panel. All shortlisted writers are also receiving one-to-one editorial feedback and guidance.

The novel is described as “a gripping thriller set in a Scottish prison, where protagonist Kennedy is on the trail of a corrupt prison officer – only to begin to suspect that the person she’s seeking might just be the colleague she’s falling in love with".

The award was judged by a panel led by PMJ publisher Joel Richardson, Headley, award-winning owner of Goldsboro Books and m.d. and agent at D H H Literary Agency; author Amy McCulloch; award-winning freelance crime fiction critic, moderator and blogger Ayo Onatade; Waterstones’ head of fiction Bea Carvalho and Syima Aslam, the founder and director of the Bradford Literature Festival.

Wilson is from Falkirk, Scotland. Five by Five is based on her day job as an intelligence analyst in a Scottish Prison. She said: “I’m delighted to have been chosen as the winner and look forward to an exciting future with PMJ and David Headley who I’m thankful to for making my dreams come true. I’ve always been taught to write what you know and I’m using my knowledge of the prison service to bring to life a unique crime setting and a heartbreaking dilemma. I can’t wait to welcome you into the depths of HMP Forth Valley in 2024.”

Richardson said: “I’m absolutely thrilled to have found Five by Five through the prize. It’s exactly the type of winner we were hoping for – a thriller that gripped me from the very first page, with a totally fresh perspective that I know readers will absolutely love. I’ve been describing it as ’Line of Duty’ meets ’Orange is the New Black’, which gives some sense of the ambition, which Claire executes brilliantly.

“I’d like to extend my thanks to our wonderful panel of judges, whose range of insight and expertise was incredibly valuable in choosing between an incredibly promising shortlist – we’re excited to be mentoring all those writers, and can already see there are future gems amongst them.”