Lewes FC expands The Rooker Prize for 2026
The annual Rooker Prize is now open – and for the first time, everyone can enter.
The pioneering football club has run the literary competition since 2022, inviting its community owners to write the opening words of a novel. The aim is simple: to democratise novel-writing by lowering the barriers that might stop people starting at all.
‘Everyone has a novel in them, right? But does everyone have the time to write one? And what if, 100,000 words later, it isn’t any good?
This is where The Rooker Prize comes in: you only need to write the beginning 400 words. The winner receives an expert coaching session from within the publishing industry. But this year, Lewes FC is flinging open the gates beyond its turnstiles, inviting anyone to enter.
Riffing on the football club’s nickname, The Rooks, the Rooker Prize opens up the possibility of writing a novel by asking entrants to do just one thing: write the opening 400 words. That’s it. Just that.
An illustrious judging panel will be chaired by Baroness Lola Young, a former Chair of the Booker Prize and a big football fan.
The prize:
The winner of The Rooker Prize will receive:
• A beautiful hand-carved wooden trophy
• £250 to donate to a charity of their choice
• An exclusive one-hour feedback and coaching session with an experienced editor at Hachette UK’s London offices, designed to help kick-start a potential writing career
How to enter:
The Rooker Prize is now open for entries:
• Type your 400-word opening to a novel (including the book title and genre)
• Email it as an attachment to [email protected]
• You must use the subject line: ROOKER PRIZE
• Include your name and contact details in the email
Closing date: Monday 30 March 2026
Winner announced: Monday 27 April 2026
(International Crow and Raven Appreciation Day)
For further information, please contact:
Karen Dobres – [email protected]