How were Novel Beginnings submissions judged?
Submissions for Novel Beginnings are now closed and we have announced the winner of the grand prize in our community.
Novel Beginnings submissions were judged by four evaluation and selection rounds: initial screening, longlist, shortlist, and final winner.
Initial screening
Submissions in the initial screening round were judged by a group of volunteers who assessed works for originality, literary merit, writing quality, and marketability.
Longlist
The highest-scoring submissions were selected for the longlist. Submissions at this stage were reviewed to ensure all rules of entry were followed.
Shortlist
The final shortlist was announced in our community. It was then judged by a panel of bestselling authors, editors, and industry professionals to decide on the winner of the grand prize. Find out more about who judged Novel Beginnings.
Final winner
The winner of the grand prize of $50,000 was announced in our Community on 6 June 2026.
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