Penguin Michael Joseph's Undiscovered Writers’ Prize 2026 to focus on horror

The Penguin Michael Joseph Undiscovered Writers’ Prize is back for its third year, this time with a focus on horror.

The winner will receive agent representation from Bell Lomax Moreton Agency and a publishing contract worth £10,000. Applications will open on 10th June, with a deadline of 25th July. 

To be eligible, entrants will need to be unagented and unpublished writers, aged over 18, currently resident in the UK or Republic of Ireland, from a background currently underrepresented in publishing. This includes ethnicity, sexuality, gender identity, disability or socio-economic background.

Editorial judge Jorgie Bain said: "I am beyond thrilled to be a part of our next venture with the PMJ Prize, seeking out the next new voice in horror, a genre I love. I can’t wait to read the incredible submissions written by aspiring authors whose storytelling we absolutely need more of in the industry."

This year’s judging panel also includes horror author CJ Tudor, Waterstones range manager Adeela Badshah and influencer Sinead Hanna.

Tudor said: "This is something very close to my heart. As an author who never went to university, never took any expensive courses and wrote The Chalk Man while working as a dog walker, I’m proud to have been asked to be a judge on this important prize."

Julie Gourinchas, the literary agent who will represent the winner from Bell Lomax Moreton Agency, said: "Horror has always been the genre lurking in the shadows and the margins – a genre of subversion, of provocation, of change and challenge – and I’m so thrilled that Penguin Michael Joseph is championing the incredible diversity of voices and experience that make horror the vibrant, special genre that it is. I can’t wait to join the supremely talented Jorgie Bain and the rest of the judges in finding horror’s next star."

The most recent prize focused on commercial romance, and the winner Brandon Purves’ entry Do Not Kiss Nicholas Prince, a heartwarming queer romance set in a charming English seaside town, will be published by Penguin Michael Joseph in 2026.

Purves said: "Winning the Penguin Michael Joseph Undiscovered Writers’ Prize has turned a years-long dream into a reality. It’s given me the chance to tell the story of my heart and introduce the world to characters I love and cherish. I can’t wait to see what the next lucky winner brings to the bookish community."

Full details about the prize and how to enter can be found here. The winner of the prize is due to be announced in February 2026.