The Sunday Times Charlotte Aitken Young Writer of the Year Award Finding the best when they're beginning since 1991 #YoungWriterAward
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The winner of the 2025 #YoungWriterAward is Harry Shukman for #YearOfTheRat 🐀
An eye-opening account of his time infiltrating British far-right groups, revealing how they operate and how they normalise extreme ideologies.
Published by @ChattoBooks / @vintagebooks
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We’re delighted to announce our exceptional panel of judges for 2026! ✨
Director of the prize and chief literary critic for The Times and The Sunday Times Johanna Thomas-Corr is joined by @Jimfam, Luke Kennard, Kamila Shamsie, Benjamin Wood and @HackettLaura.
#YoungWriterAward
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📣 CALLING ALL PUBLISHERS
The Sunday Times Charlotte Aitken Young Writer of the Year Award is back, looking for the best of the UK and Ireland’s literary talent under 35 ✨
SUBMISSIONS CLOSE:
7th September 2026
TO ENTER:
societyofauthors.org/prizes/…
#youngwriteraward
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The Sunday Times Charlotte Aitken Young Writer of the Year Award is back, looking for the best of the UK and Ireland’s literary talent under 35✨
Submissions are now open, closing on 7 September 2026.
To enter:
societyofauthors.org/prizes/…
#YoungWriterAward
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It was an absolute joy to present the 2025 #YoungWriterAward last night to Harry Shukman for #YearOfTheRat, published by @ChattoBooks / @vintagebooks! 💐
Thank you to everyone involved for a truly tremendous evening, until next time! ✨🧡
#YoungWriterAward
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In our final Readers on Writers interview, shadow judge Lou Baillache (@louus_library) speaks to Gurnaik Johal (@GurnaikJohal) about his debut novel #Saraswati published by @ProfileBooks📖
Full interview online:
youngwriteraward.com/readers…
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Next up in our Readers on Writers series, shadow judge Amina Makele (@AminasBookshelf) speaks to Liadan Ní Chuinn about their expansive collection of short stories #EveryOneStillHere published by @grantabooks📚
Full interview online:
youngwriteraward.com/readers…
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Hear from Liadan Ní Chuinn about their shortlisted debut #EveryOneStillHere published by @GrantaBooks 📚
Liadan expands on how they formed their collection of short stories and the importance of care when writing.
#youngwriteraward #youngwriters #ukbookstagram
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Next up in our Readers on Writers series is Anastasia Charchalioti in-conversation with Harry Shukman about his shortlisted book #YearOfTheRat (@ChattoBooks / @vintagebooks) ✨
Full interview online:
youngwriteraward.com/readers…
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Our #YoungWriterAward Shadow Panel Judges have chosen Liadan Ní Chuinn, author of #EveryOneStillHere published by @GrantaBooks, as their winner for their collection of stories tracing the aftershocks of post-conflict north of Ireland.
Judge's winner announced 24 March 2026✨
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Hear more about Harry Shukman’s shortlisted non-fiction debut #YearOfTheRat, published by @ChattoBooks / @vintagebooks 📚
Harry shares how he went undercover with far-right groups in the UK, and discovered how they are normalising extreme ideologies.
#youngwriteraward
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Introducing Readers on Writers – where our shadow judging panel interview our shortlisted authors📖✨
First up, Nic Marna (@bookbinch) speaks to Ben Brooks about his novel #TheGreatestPossibleGood (@scribneruk / @simonschusteruk).
Full interview online:
youngwriteraward.com/readers…
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Hear from @GurnaikJohal about his shortlisted debut novel #Saraswati published by @serpentstail 📚
Brimming with love, lush, violence and loss, Gurnaik’s magisterial debut deftly animates the passions that bind us to our histories, our lands and each other.
#youngwriteraward
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Get to know each of our shortlisted authors as they share more about their novels!
First up, Ben Brooks on #TheGreatestPossibleGood (@ScribnerUK / @simonschusterUK), on how altruism inspired his novel and when to put the pen down and start again.
#benbrooks #youngwriteraward
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The fourth and final book on our #YoungWriterAwardshortlist is Year of the Rat by Harry Shukman, published by @ChattoBooks / @vintagebooks! 📚
#YearOfTheRat is an account of Harry’s year spent undercover infiltrating far-right groups.
Find out more: youngwriteraward.com/book/ha…
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Next up on our #YoungWriterAward shortlist is Every One Still Here by Liadan Ní Chuinn, published by @GrantaBooks✨
📚 #EveryOneStillHere is an expansive collection of stories tracing the aftershocks of post-conflict north of Ireland.
Find out more: youngwriteraward.com/book/li…
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Congratulations to our 2023 shortlisted author @michaelmagee__ whose novel #CloseToHome will be adapted by Channel 4 as a new drama featuring Anthony Boyle, Jessica Reynolds, Seamus O’Hara and Oisín Thompson as lead cast 📽️
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Next up on our #YoungWriterAward shortlist is Saraswati by @GurnaikJohal, published by @serpentstail! 📚
#Saraswati is an cross-generational epic traversing India, deftly animating the passions that bind us to our histories and each other.
Find out more: youngwriteraward.com/book/gu…
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This week we will be spotlighting the #YoungWriterAward shortlist! 📚
First up is Ben Brooks, shortlisted for #TheGreatestPossibleGood (@ScribnerUK/@simonschusterUK), an incisive, hilarious family saga and unflinchingly human debut novel.
Find out more: youngwriteraward.com/book/be…
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We are delighted to announce the shortlist for the Sunday Times Charlotte Aitken Young Writer of the Year Award! ✨
Read more here: youngwriteraward.com/the-sun…
Read in @thetimes : thetimes.com/culture/books/a…
#YoungWriterAward
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