Fiction Factory: First Chapter and Synopsis Competition
Have you completed the first draft of your novel? Are you ready to pass it on to a fresh pair of eyes, to see if you are on the right track? Is your all-important first chapter ready for submission to an agent? Whatever your plans, your first chapter must shine – it must grab your readers or quickly lose their interest.
The winning entry will be read by literary agent Joanna Swainson of the Hardman & Swainson Agency. Joanna is looking for originality and distinctive voices. For complex, larger-than-life characters and stories that will stay with the reader forever. Stories that surprise, and keep on surprising. As Joanna says, she will know what she’s looking for when she sees it!
Prizes:
- First Prize: £500 and an appraisal
- All short-listed entrants will receive a free appraisal
- Winning entries will be published on our website, subject to the author’s permission
The Competition is open to anyone aged 18 or over. International entries are welcome but stories must be written in English. Chapters must be previously unpublished. Maximum word count is 5 000 words. If your first chapter is longer, please clearly mark the 5000 word point. All work submitted must be the entrant’s own original writing, and should not have appeared in print or appear on a website (including blogs and social networking sites). Winners will be announced in May 2027
Entry Fee: £18
Deadline: 30 November 2026