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Longlist 2026
We’re thrilled to announce the Longlist that emerged from the more than 1,100 entries we received for this year’s First 5 Pages Prize. Writers from nearly every continent and genre are represented and their stories captivated our judges. Congratulations to those on the Longlist.
To those not on this list: Winning a competition means nothing about the quality of your writing. Like everything else in life, this is a highly subjective process. We hope just entering inspired you to polish your pages and focus your attention to your writing. Keep going!
Longlist
(alphabetical by surname)
Ebonie Woodhead is NOT a Witch - David Ashby (Fantasy)
The Bobici House - Hannah Croft (Historical Fiction)
There It Is, Take It - Krista Diamond (Literary Fiction)
Ballybrone - Mauk Donnabhain (Literary Fiction)
Déjà vu for 2 - Andrew Duff (Science Fiction)
The Footscray Files - Thomas Graham (No Genre Assigned)
The Kemp Archive - Anna Harvey (Literary Fiction)
World of Men - Anna Harvey (Literary Fiction)
The Sea Within Us - Ariana Hendrix (Literary Fiction)
The Prince's Heart - Ali Herbek (Science Fiction)
The Transmigration of Dhani Stone - Adam Honsinger (Literary Fiction)
Gaslighting the Sick Physician - Barbara Huffaker (Memoir/Narrative Non-Fiction)
Hittarp - Kate Ismay (Literary Fiction)
The Gamblers - Anthony Jones (Literary Fiction)
Death With a Chaser - Anna Lascurain (Fantasy)
Nightshade - Lynn Hutchinson Lee (Literary Fiction)
Undercurrent - Lucinda Marsden (Young Adult)
The Chronicles of the Hand and Key - Gavin McCollam (Fantasy)
All Roads Lead to Ballinasloe - Conor Montague (Memoir/Narrative Non-Fiction)
C U - Marie Powell (Young Adult)
The Struggles of Lucifer Morningstar - Alexandra Hell Ringh (Young Adult)
Dust Devils - Francine Rochford (Crime/Thriller)
The Stym - Emily Roe (No Genre Assigned)
Twice Die - William Sattelmeyer (Crime/Thriller)
A Guide to Love, Time, and Archery - Anne Elicano-Shields (Young Adult)
How to Be Lost - Lisa Lopez Smith (Literary Fiction)
Anna (for the time being) - Lyndsey Smith (Literary Fiction)
Feast - Sonali Spiller (Commercial Fiction)
Depth of Field - Kirsty Sycz (Literary Fiction)
Better Late than Never - Judy Taylor (Historical Fiction)
The Fire - Chandani Thapa (Crime/Thriller)
Scouse Graffiti - Beth L. Thompson (Literary Fiction)
If It's Not One Thing, It's My Mother - Jessica Trapp (Memoir/Narrative Non-Fiction)
Eyes that Gave Up Their Search - Sandy Kundra Verma (Literary Fiction)
Mother Rage - Gina Voskov (Memoir/Narrative Non-Fiction)