Inaugural £50k Libraro Prize shortlist revealed
The six writers on the shortlist for the inaugural £50k Libraro Prize have been revealed. Libraro, a "community-driven digital platform that aims to remove barriers from the traditional book publishing process", will award £30k to the winning writer, plus £20k for marketing support. They will also be given a book deal with Hachette UK.
The shortlisted writers were "selected for their ability to engage readers, and the quality of voice, storytelling, plot and characterisation". Authors from the UK and Ireland make up five of the six nominees, with a writer from Utah, US, completing the list.
The shortlist includes: a Second World War historical novel inspired by a true romance; a modern fable about cancel culture; a moving family drama; a page-turning crime novel; an intriguing SF novel set in the Outer Hebrides; and a gripping fantasy about a world in peril.
The Libraro Prize was launched in January 2026, and is run in partnership with Hachette UK and book recommendation platform LoveReading. The prize aims to democratise the publishing process by championing submissions on Libraro’s online platform, with the goal of discovering the next bestselling English-language adult or YA crossover fiction author.
The prize is open to all entrants aged 18 or over, worldwide. Over the past two months, more than 15,000 readers have engaged with around 2,000 submissions, helping to create the shortlist.
The judges were chaired by writer Joanne Harris, with the panel comprising Quercus author Elly Griffiths, Headline Review author Bobby Palmer, chief executive of LoveReading Deborah Maclaren and book blogger Zubs J Malik (@zubscovered).
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The winner of The Libraro Prize 2026 will be announced on 13th May 2026 at Carmelite House. Two Reader Prizes are also on offer, worth £10,000 each: one for the reader who referred the winning author to the platform, and the other for the reader who engaged most actively with the writers’ submissions.
David Roche, chairman of Libraro, said: "We knew we would get an enormous amount of interest in the Libraro Prize but the quality of entries and the supportive community that has been built is enormously gratifying. Authors are providing each other with willing and generous support and readers have loved becoming part of the creative process while discovering new and unique voices.
"People-power really works, and this early feedback, recognition and validation is gold dust to writers, other readers, and publishers alike. We look forward to welcoming more writers and readers to our growing and trusted community and unearthing more future bestsellers."
Harris added: "We’re seeing in real time the power that readers have, whether that’s to create bestsellers or social media phenomena as part of the new frontier of publishing. The breadth of genres on the shortlist show that what readers truly care about is a good story. I’m so looking forward to diving into these stories with my fellow judges to find the inaugural winner of the Libraro Prize."
The Libraro Prize shortlist
The Last Canary by Ben Daniels
Yours, Everlasting by Natalie Gordon
Sheep’s Clothing by Donna Fisher
Love Lost by Mary Minnock
An Oath of Malice by B Robinson
The Lost Zodiac by TJ Windwood
