Premium coffee house Caffè Nero has confirmed the submissions dates for the 2026 Nero Book Awards and Nero New Writers Prize in association with Brunel University of London.
2026 marks the fourth year of the Nero Book Awards, which celebrate the craft of great writing and the joy of reading, providing readers of all tastes with a combination of high-quality writing and universal appeal. The Awards seek books that are enjoyable, highly readable and that you will want to recommend to everyone you meet.
With a total prize pot of £50,000, the Nero Book Awards recognise books of the year across four categories:
Fiction, Non-Fiction, Debut Fiction and Children’s Fiction. Judges from across the world of books will select shortlists of four in each category.
Last year’s Nero Gold Prize winner was A Family Matter by Claire Lynch (Chatto & Windus), which saw its sales double in the week following the announcement.
Submissions for the 2026 Nero Book Awards will open at 10am BST on Wednesday 27th May and close on Wednesday 24th June at 5pm BST. Instructions on how to enter – including full Terms and Conditions – will be emailed to publishers on Wednesday 27th May. To be added to the mailing list to receive these, please contact: administrator@nerobookawards.com.
THE NERO NEW WRITERS PRIZE IN ASSOCIATION WITH BRUNEL UNIVERSITY OF LONDON
The Nero New Writers Prize returns for its second year in 2026. Running alongside the Nero Book Awards, entrants to the Nero New Writers Prize are asked to submit a previously unpublished piece of fiction or narrative non-fiction (max 5,000 words). It can be written for children’s or adult audiences.
Submissions will open on Monday 13th July and close on Monday 10th August.
The winner of the inaugural Nero New Writers Prize was Erwin Joyce Canlubo, for their story, ‘We Don’t Say I Love You in This House’.
For those considering entering the Nero New Writers Prize, Prize, Brunel University of London will run a series of webinars and workshops throughout the summer. For more information, visit https://www.brunel.ac.uk/.
For queries related to submissions for either award, please contact: administrator@nerobookawards.com.