The Mo Siewcharran Prize 2025

Hachette UK’s The Future Bookshelf is running the Mo Siewcharran Prize for its sixth year to help discover unpublished non-fiction writers from Black, Asian, mixed heritage and minority ethnic backgrounds.

For 2025, the prize will be hosted by Trapeze, an imprint of Orion Books, and we are looking for non-fiction writing under the theme Reclaiming History.

Key Dates

1st April 2025 – Submissions open

30th May 2025 – Submissions close

26th June 2025 – Longlist announced

4th September 2025 – Shortlist announced

September 2025 – Winner announced

Please contact mosiewcharranprize@hachette.co.uk for any queries.

What is the prize?

The initiative, named in memory of NielsenIQ BookData’s former director of marketing and communications, aims to nurture talent from under-represented backgrounds writing in English. Run as part of Hachette UK’s The Future Bookshelf scheme, the prize was launched in 2019.

For more updates on The Mo Siewcharran Prize 2025, follow us on X (formerly Twitter) @MoPrize

#MoPrize2025

What are we looking for?

We would like to see non-fiction proposals of no more than 10,000 words that explore history and the past in a compelling and unique way.

You may be someone pursuing an MA or PhD, or someone fascinated by tales of their culture or ancestors; a journalist looking to unpack a more recent past or a writer wanting to artfully explore mythical or familial stories. You do not have to be a historian to enter this prize.

We would love to see submissions for books that could sit alongside titles such as When We Ruled by Paula Akpan, Shoulder to Shoulder by Jake Hall, Unwell Women by Elinor Cleghorn, Revolutionary Acts by Jason Okundaye, Africa is Not a Country by Dipo Faloyin, Takeaway by Angela Hui, Empireland by Sathnam Sanghera, An African History of Africa by Zeinab Badawi, or Black and British by David Olusoga.

We will be hosting three workshops in April and May to help to guide you on your submission. Please look out for these on our social media: @trapeze_books and @MoPrize

What is a proposal?

A proposal is made up of the following things:

An introduction to your book outlining your argument, why you are writing the book and what you plan to explore

A chapter breakdown that shows chapter-by-chapter how you will lay out the book

Sample writing of one or more chapters

Judges will be looking for:

A well-written, informative and page-turning piece of writing

A piece of writing that shows a strong sense of historical interpretation and storytelling

A compelling argument or unique perspective

The book must explore historical events; however, it may also include personal narrative, memoir, mythology, legend or polemic writing. The proposal must be aimed at adults.

Criteria for entry

Entrants must be unagented and previously unpublished, aged 18 or over, resident in the UK and from a Black, Asian, mixed heritage or Minority Ethnic background. To enter you must submit a proposal of no more than 10,000 words by 30th May 2025.

Entries must be submitted by midnight on the 30th May 2025.

Full terms and conditions are available here.

How to enter

CLICK HERE TO ENTER

Prizes

The winner will receive £2,500 prize money plus;

A follow-up online mentoring session with a Trapeze editor;

A hamper of Trapeze books;

An introductory meeting with a literary agent.

The winner’s entry will also be taken forward to Orion’s acquisitions meeting and considered for full publication with a competitive advance against royalties. Orion does not guarantee that the winner will be offered a publishing contract.

The runner up will receive £1,500 prize money plus,

A follow-up online mentoring session with a Trapeze editor;

A hamper of Trapeze books.

A second runner up will receive £750 prize money plus a hamper of Trapeze books.

The prize is sponsored by John Seaton, Mo Siewcharran’s husband and co-founder of the prize, and NielsenIQ BookData.

The Judges

Olivette Otele (Distinguished Research Professor of the Legacies and Memory of Slavery at SOAS, University of London, a Fellow and former Vice President of the Royal Historical Society. The author of three books, her third title, African Europeans: An Untold History was shortlisted for both the Orwell Prize and the LA Times Book Prize)

Paula Akpan (author of When We Ruled: The Rise and Fall of Twelve African Queens and Warriors)

Selina Brown (award-winning CEO and founder of Black British Book Festival and author

Emma Bal (Literary agent at Madeleine Milburn Literary Agency)

Sofia Akel (cultural historian and writer, and the founder of the Free Books Campaign)

Katie Ogunṣakin (Editorial Director at Trapeze Books)

About Trapeze

Trapeze was founded in 2016, and since then has taken the publishing industry by storm, becoming known as one of the most vibrant, dynamic – and commercially successful – imprints in the industry. Twice nominated for Imprint of the Year at the British Book Awards, and the home of twenty-nine Sunday Times bestsellers, Trapeze reflects the world around us, tapping into the subjects that readers want to talk about now.

Trapeze has published powerhouse authors including the bestselling author Candice Carty-Williams, campaigner Kwajo Tweneboa, comedians Joe Lycett and Keke Palmer and cultural commentators Annie Lord, Kelechi Okafor and Stephanie Yeboah. The imprint has also published numerous important and game-changing narratives including When We Ruled by Paula Akpan, Unheard by Dr Rageshri Dhairyawan and Shoulder to Shoulder by Jake Hall.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What does unpublished mean?

For this prize, unpublished means you have never had any book previously published by a publisher (and are not under contract to have your work published). Self-published writers are eligible to enter the competition, provided that if they are offered a publishing contract they are willing to remove the relevant work from any retailers where it is currently selling.

Am I eligible?

You are eligible for this prize if you are aged 18 or over, a UK resident and from a Black, Asian, mixed heritage or minority ethnic background. You must also be unagented and unpublished at the point of submission. Full terms and conditions are available here.