Credit: Rob Irish
This year’s inaugural winner of the Great Northern Read Award is Sarah Hunt. Her fantastic novel, The Fox at the Door was chosen by judges RJ Barker, a bestselling author of fantasy fiction, Rosanna Forte, Publishing Director at Fontana Books, and Anna Power of Johnson & Alcock. The award was announced alongside the other Northern Writers’ Awards on Wednesday 24th June in a ceremony held at Northumbria University.
‘What a privilege it has been to judge the inaugural Great Northern Read Award, and to get to enjoy and discuss the shortlisted novels with the other judges,’ said Anna Power. ‘The list was rich and diverse and included action-packed urban fantasy, original speculative fiction, and gripping suspense. It really drives home the importance of a new NWA award for great storytelling across all genres. Our winner this year is Sarah Hunt, whose The Fox At the Door was an engrossing and beautifully observed novel, with a dark mystery at its heart. Sarah is a terrific talent, and we really look forward to working with her on developing her work.’
Sarah Hunt said, ‘I am so excited to win the Great Northern Read Award. 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. As a first-time novel writer, the chance to receive bespoke mentoring from Johnson & Alcock is invaluable in taking the next steps towards publication. I’d like to say a huge thank you to all the judges for their time and for this opportunity.’
The award offers a prize of £2,500 and mentoring by agents at Johnson & Alcock to one debut writer of a complete draft of a standout, page-turning novel. It is open to unagented and unpublished writers of all genres who are currently living in the North of England. Applications for 2027 will open in due course – keep an eye on the New Writing North website for more details.
Credit: Rob Irish