2021 Young Writer Shortlist

I am a Filipino author-in-the-making whose biggest dream is to become a traditionally published author. I love reading and writing fantasy. I am 21 years old and currently working on my first novel, which is set to be finished around late July to early August.

I am currently completing my English Literature degree at the University of Leeds. In my spare time I write poetry and music reviews, which have been featured in the likes of: Ink, Sweat & Tears, The Claremont Review, Babystep Magazine, Nice People, Lippy Mag, Dear Damsels, and The Gryphon.

My name is Hannah Haynes, and I’m a 25 year old typesetter for a Cambridge-based exam board. Though born in Yorkshire, I grew up in Cheshire, where I attended the historic King’s School in Macclesfield. I found it difficult to settle on what subjects I wanted to pursue, with careers in both history

J. L. Willow voraciously read everything she could get her hands on as a child and continues to this day. She was inspired by the way words on a page could capture the imagination, beginning her journey as a writer at just six years old. When she’s not holding a pencil or a book, she can be found

I've always been an avid reader, even as a child. My mum instilled this within me. I was told that I was always allowed to buy more books, even if I'd used up my pocket money for that week. As I got older, I started writing my own stories. Of course, I look back now at the ones I wrote at a young

Best described as 'a unicorn in pyjamas', I spend most of my days consuming too much coffee, writing contemporary YA, fantasy and murder mysteries and travelling around my home country of Australia. I am lucky enough to be working as a hiking tour guide in the middle of a global pandemic, which is a

Best described as 'a unicorn in pyjamas', I spend most of my days consuming too much coffee, writing contemporary YA, fantasy and murder mysteries and travelling around my home country of Australia. I am lucky enough to be working as a hiking tour guide in the middle of a global pandemic, which is a

Born and raised in Kent, my love for writing began with poetry; filling notebooks and proudly presenting my work to anyone who would listen. Later, in my teens, I discovered that I had a musical ear – after having taught myself piano – and began writing songs. And the best thing about songwriting is

A Hufflepuff striving to be more Gryffindor, I'm utterly obsessed by books. It's been my dream for as long as I can remember to one day become a full time writer/author. I have loads of different projects that I'm working on, but Roses and Ravens is the one I'm most proud of and most recently

Franny Claer (they/them) is a non-binary individual living in Washington DC with diplomatic aspirations and a penchant for sarcastic dialogue- both in writing and real life.

I'm a girl in her twenties with a passion for writing and a dream of one day being published. I have been writing books since I was 6 years old, but this has been the first large novel that I've actually finished, so that's very exciting! I used to spend my summer holidays sat in my room delving

19 year old from Oxford, UK on a gap year before going to Bristol University in September 2021 I've been writing since I was about six and over lockdown completed my first novel 'A Spy's Diploma', which is the first in a series of seven planned books. Within said series, I'm hoping to break away

I am a long-time writer and yet-to-be author and I spend more of my time time thinking about fictional worlds than real ones. I've been telling stories since I learned to talk and writing since I could hold a pencil. I write almost exclusively YA fiction, with the odd poem thrown in for fun. The

Kay Mancino is a 19 year-old Creative Writing major from Long Island, New York. Growing up, they realized their voice was loudest when writing stories, so that is what they want to spend the rest of their life doing. In their free time, you will find them crocheting blankets for their dog and

Hi, my name is Jenna. I work as a part time editor and keep up my writing in my free time. I enjoy reading and writing fantasy fiction, especially young adult fiction, and have spent the last few years working on my own book series that I hope to get published some day. I earned a bachelor's degree