Announcing the Discoveries Prize shortlist 2025
BY Discoveries
15th May 2025
Curtis Brown Creative and the Curtis Brown literary agency are proud to partner with the Women’s Prize Trust and Audible to run Discoveries for a fifth year. Discoveries is free to enter and aims to support women from across the UK and Ireland with the writing of their first novel (for adults).
We’re delighted to share this year’s shortlist of six unpublished novels-in-progress chosen from over 2,600 entries, on the strength of the opening 10,000 words and a synopsis.
These titles were selected by Chair of Judges Kate Mosse CBE, international bestselling novelist and Founder Director of the Women’s Prize, and her judging panel: acclaimed authors Dreda Say Mitchell MBE, Chloe Timms and Claire Kohda, Curtis Brown literary agent Jess Molloy and Curtis Brown Creative’s Founder and Managing Director Anna Davis.
- Kate Mosse, Chair of Judges, said: 'We are so proud of what Discoveries has achieved in the first five years and salute every writer who has published, or is continuing to work on, her novel. This year’s shortlist judging meeting was such fun – enthusiastic, passionate, full of genuine debate, joy and admiration – and it was very hard getting our excellent longlist down to only six authors. This is a shortlist of talented future novelists and demonstrates the ambition, boldness and confidence of women writers. Now more than ever we need stories that help us to stand in one another's shoes.'
- Anna Davis, Curtis Brown Creative, and Jess Molloy, Curtis Brown, said: 'This shortlist is a really exciting one. Each of the six novels-in-progress is a passionate exploration into something significant and fascinating – from political corruption in Modi’s India to extreme religious fanaticism in the US; from the complex narratives of London’s minority communities to the casual racism in its restaurants; and from women’s struggles for autonomy in colonial Nigeria to the violence of teenage girlhood in Britain today. While these works are wildly different from each other in genre and tone, each has compelling characters and a great story to tell. With the first novels from Discoveries alumni now landing in our bookshops, we’re still working hard to extend reach and find exciting new writing voices. We’re also delighted that over 20% of this year’s longlist of 16 came from women who entered Discoveries in earlier years and who returned to try again. We hope their resilience and persistence will inspire lots of other entrants to keep writing and come back afresh next year.'
The shortlisted authors come from a broad mix of backgrounds and include a sustainability professional, a teacher, a recent MA graduate, a former waitress, a copy writer and an opera singer. Their writing explores a diverse range of subjects and settings, ranging from a haunting historical novel set in a rural village in colonial Nigeria inspired by the author’s grandmother; to an atmospheric family drama inspired by a dangerous stretch of river in Yorkshire; a compelling love story set in contemporary India; a dynamic crime story with political undertones set in East London; a dark comedy about the wives of a cult-leader on the run; and an insider’s exposé of life in the restaurant trade.
Read on to meet the six writers shortlisted for Discoveries 2025.
Muti'ah Badruddeen, A Bowl of River Water
Muti'ah Badruddeen is a Nigerian writer, currently based in the south of England. A recent alumnus of the University of East Anglia's MA Creative Writing (Prose Fiction), her short story 'Yarona, Superhero' was longlisted for the 2022 Commonwealth Short Story Prize.
Her novel-in-progress A Bowl of River Water is a literary historical fiction that explores a woman's drive for personal autonomy within the context of a rural village in colonial Nigeria, against the backdrop of Yoruba traditions and mythology.
- How does it feel to be shortlisted for Discoveries 2025? Breathless. I mean that literally. I screamed so much, I became breathless. I have a weak heart, and I don’t think it has stopped racing since I opened the email. I’m usually more on the self contained end of expression but Discoveries has unleashed the inner screamer I never knew.
- Are there any locations that have a special connection for you or your novel-in-progress? I currently live in the south of England, not too far from Cornwall, and I often find myself fascinated by the weight of history of the area. It is similar to the feeling I had when I returned for research purposes last year to my father's hometown in Nigeria, upon which the fictional village that is the setting of most of my novel is based. Maybe it is the bodies of water in both places, and the historical myths and legends attached to them.
Sophie Black, The Pass
Sophie (she/her) currently writes in London after graduating with a sociology MA in Gender, Media and Culture from Goldsmiths University in 2022. With nine years of hospitality experience behind her, she enjoys interrogating restaurant dynamics and their representation in popular culture through her Substack 'Cover Shift'. She is still and always will be available as a freelance waitress for the odd evening.
The Pass is Sophie's first venture into fiction and love letter to all the people who taught and fed her (both literally and spiritually) during her restaurant journey. Writing it has been a welcome change from essays.
- How does it feel to be shortlisted for Discoveries 2025? I feel very lucky to be shortlisted in the company of such amazing writers. I doubt it’ll sink in for a long time – maybe at the summer party! Sharing this news with my friends and family has been the best part.
- What is the thing you are most excited about as you continue through the Discoveries process? For me, the most enjoyable thing about writing is that it can start a conversation – I'll never forget the first time a friend told me they'd been thinking about something I wrote. Continuing through the Discoveries process presents an opportunity for me to find new connections and new perspectives, which I think is the biggest possible reward for putting an idea on paper.
Shaiyra Devi, The Persistence of Gravity
Shaiyra Devi works in sustainability in London. She grew up in India, Singapore, and Hong Kong, before living in the US and UK where she earned BAs in Environmental Studies and French, and an MA in Environment & Development. Though her professional and academic careers focus on the natural world, she keeps a foot firmly planted in the written world. Penning stories since she learned to write, Shaiyra finished her first novel at 12. Her current novel combines her love of nature, her global upbringing, and her fascination with the ways in which we unwittingly create our own social, political, and emotional cages.
- How does it feel to be shortlisted for Discoveries 2025? I’m beyond ecstatic, totally over the moon! This such an honour and surprise, I feel incredibly grateful for the opportunity and for the validation. It’s already been a huge encouragement and I can’t wait to continue writing with the support of the Discoveries community.
- What made you enter Discoveries 2025? It is my most deeply held dream to publish my first real novel. But a full-time career as a sustainability consultant has made it difficult to find the continuous time and headspace to do so. Before the start of 2025, I resolved to make this the year I give it my all. Discoveries has been an excellent motivator and provided me with both the structure and a potential pathway to kickstart that goal.
Jac Felipez, A Long Ways from Home
Jac Felipez is Head of Languages at a London comprehensive school and fits her writing around the demands of teaching. Previously, she produced and directed television documentaries that focused on African-Caribbean stories, which aimed to amplify underrepresented voices on the small screen. Jac now uses fiction as a creative medium to explore the complex narratives of London’s minority communities. Her novel-in-progress A Long Ways from Home is set in North and East London. It is a story of family discord and chaos stemming from a hidden past of radical activism, deception and murder.
- How does it feel to be shortlisted for Discoveries 2025? I was thrilled to be selected for the Discoveries shortlist, and felt very proud and exhilarated. Each stage of this process, from submitting my novel-in-progress to reaching the shortlist stage, has boosted my confidence and dented my self-doubt. My place on the shortlist has helped affirm for me that my author voice and my story have value.
- Which female authors inspire you to write? Dolores Redondo and Zadie Smith are two of the authors that inspire me. One hails from Navarra, the other from Willesden, their evocative and sensory depictions of the places in which they set their novels have shown me how integral location is to an engaging narrative. Their characters are grounded in their heritage, showing the importance of cultural authenticity, which has also influenced my writing.
Rosie Rowell, Down by the Stryth
Rosie is an opera singer and singing teacher from London. She studied her undergraduate degree in English Literature at Durham University and then went on to train at the opera school at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. In her free time, Rosie is obsessed with pole dance, and is a two-time finalist at the Great British Pole Championships. Her novel Down by the Stryth is a thriller about the violence and terror of teenage girlhood, combining the small-town secrets of Anna Bailey’s Tall Bones with the family tragedy of Celeste Ng’s Everything I Never Told You.
- How does it feel to be shortlisted for Discoveries 2025? I’m still in a bit of shock. When the longlist came out, I was so surprised to be included that imagining anything beyond that felt impossible. I don’t think any of it will sink in for a long time. I’m so endlessly grateful to the Women’s Prize Trust and Curtis Brown Creative.
- What initially inspired your novel-in-progress? I got the idea for this novel when I came across a TikTok (doomscrolling finally pays off!) about a section of the Yorkshire River Wharfe known as the Bolton Strid, which is famous for being the deadliest stretch of water in the world and has been the scene of several fatalities. The name ‘Strid’ comes from the Old English word ‘Stryth’, which means ‘turmoil’. Ultimately, I used this setting to write a story which explores family, generational trauma, and womanhood.
Lauren Van Schaik, Seven Sweet Nothings
Lauren Van Schaik’s short fiction has been shortlisted for the Galley Beggar and The White Review short story prizes, published in the Cincinnati Review and other venues, and named an ‘Other Distinguished Story’ in Houghton Mifflin Harcourt’s annual The Best American Short Stories in 2021. She has an MA in Creative Writing from UEA, where she won the David Higham Award, and was mentored through The National Centre for Writing’s Escalator scheme. Originally from the U.S., she lives in London with her partner and daughter and works as a copywriter.
- How does it feel to be shortlisted for Discoveries 2025? It’s incredible, heartening news. I feel really honoured that the judges see the promise in this project. I’ve had so much fun writing it and can’t wait to share it even more widely.
- When did you begin writing? I’ve always written – before I could hold a pen I tyrannically dictated stories to my parents – but have only done so in a serious way since my late 20s. I focused on short stories first. I’m American and there’s an idea there that you apprentice yourself with short fiction before tackling novels. Short stories taught me how to construct scenes, plot, craft characters, how to rewrite something a dozen times, and how to ruthlessly scrap ideas that don’t work.
Congratulations to these fantastic writers! The winner announcement will follow on Thursday 29 May.
All six shortlisted writers will be offered a mentoring session with a Curtis Brown agent plus free enrolment on a Curtis Brown Creative six-week online course (worth £230).
One promising writer from the shortlist of six will be named the Discoveries Scholar. This writer will win a free scholarship to attend a three-month Writing Your Novel course with Curtis Brown Creative (worth £1,900).
The winner will be offered representation by Curtis Brown Literary Agency and a cash prize of £5,000.