2026 First Chapter Winners
Find out which novels scooped the top 3 slots!
Many thanks to literary agent, Louise Buckley, for judging this year’s First Chapter Competition. We are delighted to reveal her winners and comments on the shortlisted stories. Congratulations to everyone!
Louise’s Notes
It’s been a pleasure to judge this year’s First Chapter Competition. I’ve been so impressed with the quality of the writing in the shortlist; I’ve been transported to Italy, the US and other parts of the UK, I’ve discovered dead bodies, sat in alien bodies and been stalked by a mysterious woman who could be my daughter. It’s been genuinely difficult to select a top three, but these three are worthy winners.
1st Prize – The Art of Deception by Matthew White
I was so impressed with this compelling opening to a police procedural. It feels tightly plotted, with excellent descriptive details, some brilliant foreshadowing with a strong, confident voice and a compelling backstory with the main character’s father having a shady, mystery past. I was left intrigued and wanting to read on.
2nd Prize – Windfall by Lisa Durbin
There is so much to enjoy here – I love the cast of quirky characters and the 1980s period details are excellent. The opening also clearly outlines the main character’s inciting situation and I was intrigued to see how the story plays out after this point.
3rd Prize – Murder Under Wraps by Catherine Lovering
Who is the mummified body in the cabinet? This is the exciting and compelling question being asked in this opening chapter as a young, wannabe-barrister finds more than she bargained for when trying to secure a pupillage. I enjoyed this a lot – it’s a fun set-up, with distinctive characters and humour.
Shortlisted Novels
Aliens All by Stacey DuFord– a fun concept and I enjoyed the dialogue.
In the Forest of the Monkey Puzzle Trees by Greg Laskaris – love the voice in the opening and the punch of the opening sentence!
Last Human Artists by Doris D’Scarlett – the premise is conveyed brilliantly on the opening page, I enjoyed the Berlin setting and was intrigued to read on and find out what happens next.
Of Fire and Flesh by Mark Parsons – this opens with some fantastic sensory details that made the story feel immersive right from the start.
The Death and Life of Amelia Borgiotti by Patrick ten Brink – loved the setting and time period and our protagonist ‘waking up’ to discover she is a ghost; very unusual.
The Girl That Shouldn’t Exist by Karen Milner – a compelling opening with an intriguing scenario: what if you were being stalked by a mysterious woman who claims to be your daughter?
The Other Side of Glass by Stephanie Percival – a dramatic opening, in what I can tell will be a twisty thriller.
Thank you Louise and to everyone at WestWord. I’m over the moon and really grateful to have won, especially given what I’ve seen of the quality of the competition.
Thank you Louise for your feedback and to WestWord for all the hard work that goes into competitions like this. I was absolutely shocked and over the moon to come in 2nd place; it's given me a much needed boost as a new writer. Congratulations to everyone!