Women’s Prize Trust Discoveries shortlist chosen from 3,000 entrants 

The Women’s Prize Trust has revealed the shortlist for its annual Discoveries prize, which aims to find and support aspiring female novelists from the UK and Ireland.

Six unpublished and unrepresented women writers have been selected from 3,000 entrants, based on the strength of the opening 10,000 words and synopsis of their novel in progress. These are: Niamh Connolly for her novel Game Theory; Alison Dudeney for Marsh End: The Darkness That Follows; Alice Fletcher for The Hungry Dark; Zeynep Kazmaz for Viscid Residue; Georgia Moorhouse for Henry; and Nalisha Vansia for Not This Again.

They include a former psychiatric nurse who decided to pursue writing when made redundant; an amateur playwright-turned-lawyer and a history of art master’s graduate who grew up in Istanbul. They are joined by an editorial assistant from Leicester, an Irish student, and a London-based communications professional.

The shortlisted novels-in-progress range in genre across fantasy, historical fiction, voice-led social realism and societal comment, coming-of-age stories and contemporary romance.

A judging panel chaired by Kate Mosse, novelist, playwright and founder-director of the Women’s Prize for Fiction and Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction, chose the shortlist. Mosse was joined by Jess Molloy, Curtis Brown literary agent; Anna Davis, founder and managing director of the Curtis Brown Creative writing school; and award-winning authors Natasha Brown and Rowan Hisayo Buchanan.

Mosse said: “Our shortlist judging meeting was passionate, exciting, full of delight and debate, a real pleasure. The shortlist is a showcase of how women writers are embracing different genres and forms of storytelling, from gothic fantasy to historical reimagining, from Britain in the 1970s to Ireland in the present day, the world of art to complex relationships in their complicated glory. We cannot wait to read the full novels and are certain that these six are writers to watch.”

All six shortlisted authors will receive a one-to-one mentoring session with a Curtis Brown agent and a free place on the six-week online writing course of their choice with Curtis Brown Creative (worth £220).

They will also take part in a studio session on writing and recording for audio with Audible. The six shortlisted writers will also be joined by a further 10 writers comprising this year’s Discoveries longlist for a specially designed two-week Writing Development Course, delivered by Curtis Brown Creative and tutored by author Charlotte Mendelson (herself a former Women’s Prize shortlisted writer).

Anna Davis, Curtis Brown Creative, and Jess Molloy, Curtis Brown, said: “We both feel so privileged to take part in running and judging the Discoveries Prize. The sheer quality and diversity of material shared with our team of experienced industry readers this year was phenomenal – and this goes way beyond the shortlist that we’re celebrating today. We salute the almost 3,000 entrants who sent us the openings of their novels-in-progress, and we hope each and every one of them has embarked on a journey that will take them to amazing places. As to our wonderful 2024 shortlist – well, suffice to say that the Discoveries programme is very aptly named. We are so excited to see what these six talented women writers will go on to achieve.”

The winner will be announced on 23rd May and will receive an offer of representation from Curtis Brown and £5,000. One promising writer from the shortlist will be named the Discoveries Scholar and win a free scholarship to attend a three-month Writing Your Novel course with Curtis Brown Creative (worth £1,800).