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Online writing school The Novelry has announced the winner of The Next Big Story prize$100,000 will be awarded to the emerging writer, along with enrollment in the school’s The Finished Novel Course to develop their book alongside editors and authorsThe panel for the contest included Emma Roberts, Zosia Mamet, Carley Fortune and more
The winner of The Novelry’s The Next Big Story prize has been announced!
In May, The Novelry, an online writing school, first launched the writing competition, which was created to “uncover fresh literary talent, breaking down barriers and amplifying unheard voices,” per a statement shared with PEOPLE at the time.
Applicants were invited to submit the first three pages of a novel to a panel of judges, including Emma Roberts, actress and co-founder of the Belletrist book club, along with authors Zosia Mamet, Tayari Jones, Carley Fortune, Yann Martel, Julia Quinn, Zibby Owens and Jackie Oshry. Book influencers Brady Lockerby and Kimberly Nwokorie also participated as judges.
The winner was announced to be Stella Donovan, whose entry captivated the judges with its “fresh voice and intriguing premise,” per a statement shared with PEOPLE.
The panel of judges for The Novelry’s ‘The Next Big Story’ contest.
The Novelry
Donovan will receive $100,000 and enrollment in The Novelry’s The Finished Novel Course, which invites participants to develop and complete their book with a team of Big Five publisher editors and bestselling authors.
“It is absolutely mind-boggling to receive such a generous prize as an unpublished novelist,” Donovan says in a statement. “Even more incredible is the assurance that there’s no deadline or pressure attached, and that the funds exist simply to support me as I develop the work at my own pace.”
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“Beyond the financial support, I’m deeply honored to have been selected by such a prestigious panel of judges,” Donovan continues. “Their endorsement has given me something that’s often hard to sustain without connections, mentors, or a visible path into the literary world: confidence. Confidence that my dreams aren’t naïve or unrealistic, and that my persistent return to this character wasn’t as delusional as I (and probably my wonderful friends and family) sometimes feared.”
Stella Donovan.
Lynda Churilla
“I encourage anyone who has a story that won’t let them go to keep writing, take a big swing, and bet on yourself. As I’ve learned over the last few weeks, everything is possible.”
The contest’s finalists include Hannah Feather, Kierra Eackles, Ashmita Bhattacharjee, Rob Winslow, Carmelita Zappala, Liam Morris and Kylie Cooper.
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“This is a very serious responsibility we have here in front of us,” author Jones said of the contest. “We’re going to change someone’s life. We’re going to put a worthy writer on the path to being an author. Every single one of the entries — all 22,500 — are, in fact, writers. But we are about to help someone become an author.”
The Novelry, founded by Booker Prize-longlisted author Louise Dean in 2017, offers online courses and coaching for writers around the world. For more information, visit The Novelry’s website.