Helen Fielding and New Writing North have launched the Bridget Jones Prize for unpublished writers without a literary agent in northern England. Entrants submit a funny first-person piece of 1,000 words. The winner receives 2,000 pounds and writing support, with applications opening on 23 November and closing on 1 February 2027.
Helen Fielding, the creator of Bridget Jones, has established the Bridget Jones Prize with New Writing North, a writing-support charity. It is open to unpublished writers living in northern England who have no literary agent. The winner receives 2,000 pounds and writing support from Fielding’s agents and the charity. The award forms part of the Northern Writers’ Awards programme.[1], [2]
Applicants submit a funny piece of 1,000 words written in the first person. Submissions open on 23 November and close on 1 February 2027. The initial plan covers three years, from 2027 to 2029. The winner is due to be announced at the programme’s ceremony in Newcastle next summer, with Fielding presenting the award. New Writing North describes it as the programme’s first prize devoted exclusively to comedy writing.[1]
Fielding grew up in West Yorkshire and says writing opportunities are distributed unevenly, with more available in the south of England. She links Bridget Jones’s humour to the everyday exchanges around her in childhood. Bridget’s diary began as a column in The Independent in 1995, followed by the novel in 1996. The new prize seeks people whose comic writing has yet to bring them an established publishing career.[1]
