HNS First Chapters Competition is open for submissions.

Submission Guidelines

• Ten entry categories.
• Accepting historical fiction and its subgenres.
• First 3,000 words and synopsis of unpublished novel.
• Open to unpublished and published authors anywhere in the world, writing in English.
• Open to HNS members and non-members.

Judges: The judges for the overall winner are writer Martina Devlin, publisher Karen Sullivan (Orenda Books), and agent Therese Coen (Susanna Lea Associates).

Entry fee: £25 HNS members; £35 non-members.

Prizes: £1,000 overall winner; £500 and HNS 2026 conference ticket for ten category winners; certificates, website badges for all longlisted entries. Feedback for all entries.

Deadline: 17 November 2025

All details, all submissions via their website.