Deborah-Rogers-Foundation-INVERTED

The longlist for the Deborah Rogers Award 2025 is announced - six short story collections and five novels in the running.

Ten Years of Nurturing New Voices

The Deborah Rogers Award Announces 2025 Longlist

The Deborah Rogers Foundation (DRF) marks a decade of supporting emerging literary talent with a refreshed identity for its flagship prize, now renamed the Deborah Rogers Award. The biennial award continues its mission to champion new voices in fiction and non-fiction, offering a £10,000 prize to an unpublished writer to complete their first book, alongside £3,000 each for two shortlisted authors.

This year’s longlist of eleven features a vibrant mix of six short story collections and five novels. Writers from Nigeria and Ghana, Trinidad and Tobago, Bangalore, England and Eire, showcase the breadth and diversity of contemporary writing:

  • Yellow is Not for Girls Like Me – June Aming (novel)
  • Ascension – Piers Kobina Buckman (novel)
  • Quarehawks – Fearghal Hall (stories)
  • A Good Woman – Lizzie Golds (stories)
  • We Can Start This Story – Tega Oghenechovwen (stories)
  • Tales of Shawq – Leeor Ohayon (stories)
  • Happy When – Jenny O'Donnell (novel)
  • Do You Think I'm a Bad Person? – Olakunle Ologunro (stories)
  • Breathwork – Rosa Mäkelä (stories)
  • Ratri – Saranya Murthi (novel)
  • She Herself is a Haunted House – Georgia Poplett (novel)

The shortlist will be revealed on 22 October 2025 by this year’s distinguished judging panel: Erica Wagner (Chair), Inua Ellams, and Natalie Haynes. The winner will be announced at a ceremony on 4 November 2025.

For the history of the prize, details of former judges and all the past winners, see https://www.deborahrogersfoundation.org/writers-award

News

Shortlist of three announced for the 2021 Deborah Rogers Foundation Writers Award
Judges Colm Tóibín, Deepa Anappara, Anna James and Ingrid Persaud announce the shortlist for the 2021 Deborah Rogers Foundation Writers Award
Submissions have now closed for the 2021 Writers Award
On 1st July 2021 submissions to the DRF Writers Award closed. The winner will be announced on 7th December 2021 and shortlisted writers will be contacted by email in mid-November 2021.
Deborah Rogers Foundation Announces 2021 Writers Award
Submissions for the DRF 2021 Writers Award can be made between 1st April 2021 until 1st July 2021.
DATE CHANGE: Because of the lockdown the biennial DRF Awards are being transposed.
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IAN RANKIN OBE announces the winner of the 2020 Deborah Rogers Foundation Writers Award
The winner of the 2020 Deborah Rogers Foundation Writers Award is ‘Pemi Aguda for The Suicide Mothers, a work of fiction. Ian Rankin (Chair of the Judges) introduced the three shortlisted authors and then announced the winner who will receive the prize of £10,000.
Shortlist of three announced for the 2020 Deborah Rogers Foundation Writers Award
Judges Ian Rankin OBE (Chair), Sarah Perry and Max Porter announce the shortlist for the 2020 Deborah Rogers Foundation Writers Award. 3 are chosen out of 876 entries and a shortlist of 8.
Prema Raj, winner of the 2019 DRF David Miller Bursary, reports on her time at five publishers in four countries
The winner of the 2019 DRF David Miller Bursary, Prema Raj, has reported on her time spent at five different publishing companies, in Denmark, Italy, the UK and the USA.
Submissions to the 2020 Writers’ Award are now closed.
The winner will be announced in mid-May 2020 and shortlisted writers will be contacted directly.
Deborah Rogers Foundation Announce 2020 DRF Writers Award
Submissions for the DRF 2020 Writers Award can be made between 1st June 2019 until 31st October 2019.
Announcement of winner of the DRF David Miller Bursary Award
The winner of the inaugural Deborah Rogers Foundation Bursary Award is Prema Raj