The next steps for competition entries
So, You’ve Entered the Cheshire Novel Prize?
What Happens when we get your submission?
Your submission is logged and checked for genre, and then it goes into our submission dashboard and is allocated to our readers. Our readers are generally genre specific.
Your entry is read at least twice in round one—and if readers can’t agree—three times. Each reader fills out a feedback form and this is uploaded with their decision. This feedback acts as a guide to help the editor who will collate your feedback to understand why the novel was put through or why it wasn’t. Our editors will read the manuscript extract also, to formulate their own feedback.
If your work goes through to round one, it moves to our ‘yes’ dashboard. If your entry doesn’t pass round one, it moves to our ‘no’ dashboard ready for feedback.
How is the feedback formatted if I am unsuccessful?
Your extract is read by an editor, along with the feedback forms from the readers. The editor will then produce summary feedback looking at things that worked and things that could be developed or explored more. We will also tell you how many times your novel was read and include generic tips to improve your writing.. Every writer gets feedback regardless of where they are placed in the competition.
When will I get my feedback?
We will start sending out the feedback as soon as the longlist is announced, but please bear with us. We have a lot of entries and so this could take a while. However, we promise to get it out to you by the 3oth August 2025, latest.
How many rounds of reading are there?
There are 6 rounds.
Round 1
Our readers are asked, would you read on, yes, or no? There is no limit to how many we will put through to round two. If your novel deserves to be a yes, it goes through.
Round 2 - 4
All novels will continue to collect yes or no votes and feedback as they go through the different rounds. Round 4 is where our school kids get involved to ultimately decide our top ten percent and then our long-list.
Round 5 & 6
Our judges will read the long-listed novels and decide which ones go through to the shortlist. Our judges will then again decide which writers progress from the shortlist to become our winner, and highly commended.
What happens to my entry after the winner is announced?
We will keep all entries for 2 months to ensure that we can answer any queries that may arise. There may be writers who forget to add entry@cheshirenovelprizekids.com to their address book and did not receive their feedback, as it may be in their junk or spam folder. We want to make sure everyone receives feedback.
After 2 months, we will delete all entries and clear our dashboard ready for next year’s competition. Please note that you must contact us by 3oth August 2025, if you haven’t received your feedback. Otherwise, it will be deleted and cannot be retrieved.
If you have any more questions about the prize, do check out our FAQ section on our website cheshirenovelprizekids.com/faqs.