Welcome to The Sareeta Domingo Prize
The Sareeta Domingo Prize is a free-to-enter writing prize created to discover and support unpublished writers from Black and Global Majority backgrounds, founded by bestselling author Dorothy Koomson in association with Sareeta Domingo’s family, Hachette UK, Jacaranda Books and David Higham Associates.
The prize has been created to honour the legacy of Sareeta Domingo, a much-admired editor and author, and a passionate champion of diverse stories and underrepresented voices, who passed away in 2025.
Dorothy Koomson explains, ‘Sareeta touched so many lives with her writing and her work. This award has been created to continue Sareeta’s legacy in discovering and supporting new voices by breaking down the barriers to publication that those from certain backgrounds face. I am really looking forward to seeing who we can discover and support through this prize.’
Focused on long-term impact and removing barriers to access, The Sareeta Domingo Prize goes beyond a traditional competition model. It is designed to nurture emerging talent through meaningful, sustained development, combining open submissions with workshops, industry insight and expert judging. Alongside the award itself, the initiative offers a comprehensive package of support ranging from coaching and editorial guidance to potential literary representation, helping writers build sustainable careers.
Who was Sareeta Domingo?
As an editor, Sareeta began her career at Harlequin Mills & Boon, before moving to Trapeze, an imprint of Orion, as editorial director in 2022, where she published writers including Jendella Benson and Stephanie Yeboah. In May 2025 she joined Jacaranda Books as publishing director, where she continued her mission to publish bold and thought-provoking commercial fiction by authors currently underserved by mainstream publishing.
As an author, Sareeta’s novels include The Nearness of You (Piatkus, 2016), If I Don’t Have You (Jacaranda, 2020) and Possibility (Renegade, 2025). She was the creator, editor and contributing writer of Who’s Loving You? (Trapeze, 2022), a celebration of love written by women of colour. She also published books for young adults with Hachette Children’s Books, numerous erotic short stories with Pavilion Books, and journalism which was featured in publications including Black Ballad, gal-dem and Stylist.
Launched in Sareeta’s memory in 2026, the prize is being run in partnership between Sareeta’s family, bestselling author Dorothy Koomson, Trapeze/Orion, Jacaranda Books and David Higham Associates, and will be run as part of Hachette UK’s The Future Bookshelf scheme.
Key dates
21st September 2026 – Submissions close
16th November 2026 – Longlist announced (c. up to 16)
11th January 2027 – Shortlist announced (c. 8-10)
25th January 2027 – Winner announced at the awards ceremony
What are we looking for?
We’re looking for bold, original and irresistible fiction for an adult audience from unpublished writers who have a compelling story to tell. The Prize is open to writers from Black and Global Majority backgrounds, with no restrictions on genre or theme, reflecting a commitment to showcasing a wide range of voices, perspectives and storytelling.
We want writing that demonstrates:
A strong, engaging narrative voice
A clear sense of storytelling and originality
Unforgettable characters and page-turning plots
Something that can be developed into a full-length work
As this Prize is centred on work in progress, we are interested in potential. We are looking for writers with a distinctive voice and the ambition to develop their work with the support offered through the Prize. To help you with your submission and answer some of your questions, we’ll be hosting two online workshops in July and August to guide you on your way. Please look out for these on our social media: @orionbooks and @dorothykoomson_author.
Criteria for entry
Entrants must be unagented and previously unpublished, aged 18 or over, resident in the UK and from a Black or Global Majority background.
Submission criteria:
The first 5,000 words of the novel in progress
A full synopsis of the novel (up to 750 words) including the ending.
Full terms and conditions are available here.
What is a synopsis?
A synopsis has just one function: to tell those who will potentially publish your book the core shape of your story. It’s not the blurb you see on the back of the book, it’s your chance to tell us about the beginning, middle and end of your story. We want to see all the key plot developments in the order they happen as well as the ending.
Yes, that does mean we want to know all the unexpected plot points including that killer twist at the end. Why is that important? We need to know that you know how the story ends.
A synopsis is also helpful way for you to briefly outline the structure of your tale.
How to enter
Complete this form and upload your submission by midnight on 21st September 2026.
By entering the competition, you agree to the terms and conditions here. You can find more information on how we will process your personal data in our privacy notice here.
The prizes
The winner will receive £2,500 prize money plus:
12 months of writing coaching from Dorothy Koomson
A place on the Goldsboro Writing Academy Write Your Novel With Us course
An offer of literary representation from literary agency David Higham Associates (with no obligation to accept)
The winner’s entry will also be taken forward to Orion’s acquisitions meeting and considered for full publication with a competitive advance against royalties. Orion does not guarantee that the winner will be offered a publishing contract and if offered an agreement there will be no obligation to accept
A copy of each of the four titles published on Sareeta’s List at Jacaranda Books
A highly commended entrant will receive £1,500 prize money plus:
A place on the Goldsboro Writing Academy Write Your Novel With Us course
A one-hour follow-up online editorial session with a senior Orion editor
A one-hour consultation with an agent at DHA
A copy of each of the four titles published on Sareeta’s List at Jacaranda Books
Shortlisted Entrants will receive:
A 1000-word piece of editorial feedback from an Orion editor
A one-hour consultation with an agent at DHA
A copy of one of the titles published on Sareeta’s List at Jacaranda Books
All longlisted entrants will receive a one-hour consultation with an agent at DHA with advice on what to do next with their writing.
The judges
Dorothy Koomson (Head Judge), an award-winning, global bestselling author of 23 novels, with a writing career spanning more than 20 years.
Lizzy Kremer, Literary Agent and Managing Director at David Higham Associates
Anna Valentine, Managing Director of The Orion Publishing Group
Valerie Brandes, Founder and CEO of Jacaranda Books
Magdalene Abraha FRSA, author and Publishing Director of Jacaranda Books
Sara Jafari, author and Senior Editor at Renegade Books
About the judges
Dorothy Koomson is an award-winning, global bestselling author whose novels include the Sunday Times bestsellers I Know What You’ve Done, The Friend, The Ice Cream Girls and My Best Friend’s Girl. She is the UK’s biggest selling Black author of adult fiction, and her reputation for surprising readers with the unexpected has led to her being crowned the ‘Queen of the Big Reveal’. Her books have been translated into more than 30 languages. Dorothy featured on the 2021 Powerlist as one of the most influential Black people in Britain, she was also selected to appear in GQ Style as a Black British trailblazer. She often supports the work of new writers by providing through mentoring and writing coaching.
Lizzy Kremer is the Managing Director of David Higham Associates, one of the world’s leading literary agencies founded in 1935. She loves to read and represent authors of beautifully written, intriguing fiction, which is what drew her to be Sareeta’s agent. Other clients include Paula Hawkins, Mick Herron, Kate Morton and Val McDermid. She is a former President of the Association of Authors’ Agents, and a British Book Industry Awards Agent of the Year.
Anna Valentine is the Managing Director of The Orion Publishing Group, and the founder of the imprint Trapeze which aims to publish bold, agenda-setting voices not served by the mainstream. Part of Hachette UK, The Orion Publishing Group was founded in 1991 and is built on the principle that every story matters. Open, agile, passionate and innovative, Orion’s mission is to bring the best publishing to the greatest variety of people. What makes Orion unique is the breadth of our publishing – we truly cater for all readers – and we are proud of our legacy as a publisher that breaks down barriers, demystifies the industries and publishes books that start conversations and drive real change.
Valerie Brandes is CEO & Founder of Jacaranda Books, famed for industry leading initiatives such as the #Twentyin2020 publishing campaign, which for the first time ever in the UK, committed to publishing twenty Black British writers in one year. Jacaranda Books was named Small Press of the Year at the British Book Awards. In 2025, Jacaranda Books was an honouree for Powerlist BP Business of the Year. Alongside her publishing company, Valerie also sits on the board of University of Exeter’s Publishing Studies course. In March 2022 Valerie was selected for Emma Watson and Rene Eddo Lodge’s City of Women map for Angel Station. In 2025 Valerie was named among Publishers Association’s People in Publishing.
Magdalene Abraha FRSA is a multi-award-winning publisher and writer. She was one of the youngest columnists at the Independent and has written for platforms like the Guardian and the Economist. She is currently Publishing Director at Large for Jacaranda Books, and previously held senior editorial and publicity roles at Bloomsbury Publishing and I.B. Tauris. In 2022, Magdalene was named on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list for publishing and media, the only publishing professional recognised that year. She is also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and the recipient of the BBC 1Xtra Future Figures Award, the London Book Fair Trailblazer Award 2020, and the Bookseller FutureBook Future Leader of the Year Award 2025.
Sara Jafari is a British-Iranian author and editor. She is the author of The Mismatch and People Change, and her debut YA fantasy romance Heavensent & Hellbent will be published in August 2026. She is also a Senior Editor at Renegade Books, Hachette.
FAQS
What does unpublished mean?
For this prize, unpublished means you have never had any book previously published by a publisher (and are not under contract to have your work published). Self-published writers are eligible to enter the competition, provided that if they are offered a publishing contract they are willing to remove the relevant work from any retailers where it is currently selling.
Am I eligible?
You are eligible for this prize if you are aged 18 or over, a UK resident and from a Black or Global Majority background. You must also be unagented and unpublished at the point of submission. Full terms and conditions are available here.
Please contact sareetadomingoprize@hachette.co.uk for any queries.
#SareetaDomingoPrize2026
Good luck!
