Much More Than A Writing Competition: Escalator Literature
Escalator Literature is a writing competition which offers writers much more than the usual cash prize.
Each year our judges select
ten winning writers from the East of England. The winners enjoy a year’s worth of development from professional writers including one-to-one mentoring, professional development workshops, supported applications for grants and more.
This year’s judges/mentors are: Tobias Hill, Joanna Hines, Bernardine Evaristo, Katharine McMahon and Michelle Spring.
View Biographies.
Year-by-year Escalator Literature alters its guise. Last year it was a national poetry competition, the year before that it was open to early career writers of literary fiction and creative non-fiction. This year Escalator Literature 2011/12 was open to novelists.
One thing remains consistent each year: the writers are talented and worth your attention.
Our Ten 2011/12 Escalator Literature Novel Writing Competition Winners Are:
Rebecca Atkinson
Elaine Bishop
Armando Celayo
Guinevere Glasfurd-Brown
BTI Larsson
K J Packer
Teresa Rogers
Erin Soros
Shereen Tadros
Kate Worsley
View Winners' Biogs and Novel Extracts
Commended Writers Are:
Paul Davenport-Randell
Mary Jane Riley
Simon Coard.
It Works
Case Study: Guy Saville
"So, four years on from winning Escalator, things couldn't be going better. Now all I need to do is finish book two..."
"Afrika Reich did really well in hardback, selling more than 10,000 copies which makes me the 11th best selling debut of 2011. It also reached number three in Spain's charts (no doubt helped by a week long publicity tour of Madrid and Barcelona) and the paperback has also got off to a flying start. All in all, not bad for a book which the majority of publishers in this country said had no commercial appeal!...I've also just had some more good news... The book has now sold to America in a major two-book deal with Henry Holt, part of Macmillan. It will be published next year in the US." October 2011
"Thank you for all the wonderful events and opportunities to learn along the way. These were terrific days, greatly appreciated, always inspirational, and insightfully chosen.” Martin Ungless, Winner 2009/10
Can I Enter?
Visit last year’s Escalator Fiction Competition page to see the eligibility guidelines. These can be subject to change year-by-year. If you have any questions, please email
info@writerscentrenorwich.org.uk and we’ll endeavour to help.
We run Escalator Literature on behalf of
Arts Council England and we’d like to thank them for their support.