2025 Phoenix Award Finalists

Natalie Goes was born in Siberia, has lived in six countries, speaks three languages fluently and two more badly. Her love of languages can only compare to her love of good books, and her Kindle gets quite a workout. The fascinating places and people she encountered traveling the world with her Air

Emmanuel Arriaga is a sci-fi author trapped in the body of a Product Manager. With a 14+ year background in engineering, cybersecurity, and infrastructure, Emmanuel received education from Pennsylvania State University and Stanford Graduate School of Business. He’s held roles building products for

Born and raised in China, Tong Ge moved to Canada in the late 1980s as an international student. Since 2012, her poetry, prose, and short stories have appeared in both English and Chinese publications across North America, England, Mainland China, and Taiwan. Her debut novel, “The House Filler,” was

As a member of the LGBTQ+ community, I bring a wealth of life experience to my writing, particularly in exploring themes of unconscious bias, identity, and the quiet complexities of human relationships. My stories often examine how people navigate societal expectations and personal struggles, with

Jace Parker – Resilience Expert, Crime Scene Investigator, and Author of Thrive in Chaos Jace Parker is a resilience expert, seasoned crime scene investigator, and the author of Thrive in Chaos – a brutally honest guide to building unshakeable mental toughness. Drawing on over 20 years of experience

I am a fiction author who has indulged in storytelling for decades. As a child, I invented short stories, wrote poems and essays while reading each day from all genres. Those experiences started a love of writing, eventually turning into a full-time career. Being trilingual allows me to share this

Karen is British-born Greek Cypriot. She has worked at Penguin Books, BBC and The Sunday Times. Her career was halted after experiencing psychotic episodes and was later diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder. She has been stable for the last seven years and now lives with her partner and son in

Writing for me turned from a hobby to a love affair when I had an idea for a thriller/drama novel, and 4 years after that idea, I published that novel titled Retribution. I kept on writing and expanding my range of genres to include sci/fi, fantasy/adventure and of course a sequel to my novel.

Miranda Boyer is an award-winning author, publisher, and lifelong storyteller whose work explores themes of identity, resilience, and magic in the face of adversity. She is best known for her Fountain of Youth series, a genre-bending YA fantasy saga that weaves together reincarnation, found family

Mona Tebyanian is an Iranian-American author whose writing is defined by bold imagination, emotional depth, and cultural richness. Born and raised in Iran, she moved to the United States at 19, carrying with her a lifelong connection to the stories, myths, and traditions that shaped her early years

I was born in Turkey in 1973. In 1999, I came to England to learn English. I then became a primary school teacher and for 10 years I worked as a class teacher, ICT coordinator and music teacher in inner-city schools across London. In 2014, I moved to work in higher education and started to work as a

Ravi Bodalia is a resident doctor and writing content-creator with over three million views across YouTube and TikTok. He has previously been a finalist in the Page Turner Awards for the Book Adaptation Needed category, and he has been longlisted in the Jericho Writers 500 Words Competition. His

Founder of Melissa Beaty's Bible Resource Library, Melissa has dedicated her life to helping others explore the riches of Scripture. Since her conversion from atheism, she has applied her formal training in philosophy and education to help others understand biblical principles from both Christian

Stephen C. Pollock is a poet, essayist, physician, academician, former business executive, and inventor. His poetry collection Exits has been honored with the 2024 North Street Book Prize along with seventeen other book awards. Steve began scribbling poems on shirt cardboard at age nine. All of

Originally from Hungary, I graduated from the University of Leeds with a BSc in Psychology and an MA in Human Resource Management, and I still live in the city with my partner. In my day job, I’m an HR professional. I love the challenges and the variety I experience through my work, but writing is

Danielle Paquette-Harvey is an Award-Winning, International Best Selling author of fantasy romance. Her books have sold thousands of copies in countries worldwide. Her books include werewolves, vampires, dragons, witches, morally grey characters, and swooning romance. Her books have been translated

Alanah Knibb is a freelance artist, writer and science communicator who specialises in combining art and science through comic books. Her work aims to create space, opportunities, and inspiration to empower communities to utilise science for collective development and social change. A former

Virginia Betts is an independent author, performance poet, actor and freelance tutor from Ipswich, Suffolk in the UK. She has had 4 books published by independent presses: The Camera Obscure (Gothic and supernatural stories); two poetry collections: Tourist to the Sun and That Little Voice; and her

I was born and raised in Spain and moved to live in the UK when I was 25. Learning a new language wasn’t easy for me; so, I challenged myself to write in English as a way to improve the language. Characters and their stories have crowded my head from a young age, wanting to be told; one day I gave

Michael Irleand earned her Master’s in Religious Studies from the University of B.C. with honors, diving deep into the world of Julian the Apostate—the last pagan emperor of ancient Greece whose beliefs laid the groundwork for what we now call New Age philosophy. But it wasn’t until a life-changing