1.1. The Libraro Prize (“the Prize”) is organised by Libro Publishing Limited, trading as Libraro (“Libraro”).

1.2. The purpose of the Libraro Prize is to discover and support new writing through the Libraro Platform (https://app.libraro.com), with one winner benefitting from a £50,000 book deal (£30,000 advance and £20,000 marketing contribution).

1.3. By entering, all entrants agree to Libraro Terms of Service and these Prize Terms and Conditions.

2.1. These Prize Terms and Conditions are supplementary to the Libraro Terms of Service. In the event of any conflict, the Libraro Terms of Service shall take precedence, except insofar as it pertains to the limited scope of the Prize, in which case the Prize Terms and Conditions shall prevail.

2.2. For the purposes of these Prize Terms and Conditions:

As a minimum any works submitted must meet the requirements of the Libraro Terms of Service. In addition and more specifically:

3.1. The Prize is open to works that are written by a single human author worldwide, aged 18 or over at the time of entry. Only sole authorship submissions are accepted, co-authored works are not eligible.

3.2. Submissions must be written originally and submitted in the English language.

3.3. Only one Submission per author is permitted.

3.4. Submissions must be a full-length original work, wholly owned by the author or entrant (as applicable), and not AI-generated.

3.5. Each Entrant shall be solely responsible for obtaining, prior to Submission, all necessary permissions, licences, and clearances for any third-party material incorporated in their work, including but not limited to song lyrics, poetry, quotations, images, or any other copyrighted content.

By submitting an entry, the Entrant warrants that the Submission is their original work and does not infringe the copyright, moral rights, trademarks, or other proprietary rights of any third party.

Libraro shall bear no responsibility or liability for any infringement arising from a Submission and reserves the right to remove or disqualify any material or Entrant found to be in breach of this clause.

Libraro further reserves the right to request, at its sole discretion, documentary evidence of such permissions, licences, or clearances, and failure to provide satisfactory evidence within the period specified may result in disqualification or removal of the Submission from the competition or platform.

3.6. The competition is open to all Entrants aged 18 or over, regardless of previous publishing history or professional representation. Libraro welcomes both emerging and established authors.

This approach reflects Libraro’s mission to democratise publishing, opening new opportunities to showcase their work within an inclusive and innovative environment. Entrants who have self-published this manuscript (including via Amazon KDP or similar platforms) and retain their rights, remain fully eligible to enter, provided they have all necessary permissions.

3.7. Persons affiliated with Libraro, such as employees, staff, affiliated agencies, or judging panel members (and their families) are not eligible.

3.8. In entering the Prize competition, you confirm that you are eligible to do so and eligible to claim any prize you may win. Libraro may require you to provide proof that you are eligible to enter the competition.

3.9. The Prize is open globally. Entrants are responsible for ensuring that their participation complies with any local laws, regulations, or restrictions applicable in their country of residence.

4.1. Each Submission must include the following:

a. Title and Author Name - the authors' real names and contact details must be provided when signing up. There are options to create pseudonyms and select anonymity on the Libraro platform, however pseudonyms or artistic names should not be used to circumvent the rules e.g. to submit more than once.

b. Contact Details - a valid telephone number and email address.

c. The Story About Your Story – a short, cover-letter style introduction outlining the inspiration, premise, and motivation behind the work (no more than 2 pages, max 1000 words).

d. Blurb – a concise and engaging description of the work intended to entice potential readers - as one would find on the back of the jacket (500 characters).

e. Sample Chapters – a selection of sample chapters (totalling no more than 10,000 words).

f. A Full Manuscript or Full First Draft – the Entrant must upload in full under Libraro’s secure submission conditions. Incomplete submissions will not be considered or acknowledged. Novellas and Short Stories are not eligible and manuscripts must 40,000 words and above

For the avoidance of doubt, Entrants are not required to provide a full Synopsis as part of the initial competition Submission. A Synopsis (of up to 1,000 words) will only be requested from shortlisted authors.

Libraro will provide professional editorial and presentation support to shortlisted authors in preparing their Synopsis, and reviewing their Blurb and Story about Your Story to ensure that submissions are presented to the judging panel most effectively and professionally as possible.

4.2. Submissions must be uploaded via the Libraro Platform between 19th January 2026 and 16th February 2026. All Submissions to the Prize competition must be made via the competition website or on app.libraro.com. It is recommended to use a laptop or tablet to upload your submission rather than a phone for better precision and visual checking.

4.3. Submissions must comprise a fiction novel intended for Adults, including Crossover Young Adults. Submissions may be of any theme, subject, or genre within adult fiction, which includes crossover young adult fiction.

4.4. Shortlisted Entrants will be required to provide a full first draft of their work. For the avoidance of doubt, “full first draft” refers to a completed version of the manuscript suitable for review, which may subsequently undergo further editorial refinement through the publishing process.

4.5. Participation in the Prize and Submission of entries is free of charge. Notwithstanding, Libraro reserves the right to charge for submissions to the Libraro platform outside of the Prize.

4.6. Libraro reserves the right to monitor Submissions for plagiarism, AI-generated content and hate speech.

4.7. Submissions must not have previously won a prize.

4.8. Simultaneous submission to other competitions is permitted, but if your Submission wins a prize elsewhere and is to be published, you must notify us immediately so we can withdraw it from the Libraro Prize competition.

4.9. Entrants are encouraged to share their participation in the competition on personal or social media channels, provided they do not disclose any confidential details relating to the judging process or unpublished materials belonging to others. Entrants who are shortlisted or selected as winners must maintain confidentiality until Libraro’s official public Announcement Date. Any premature disclosure of shortlisting or results may, at Libraro’s discretion, result in disqualification.

4.10. Entering the Prize does not, to the best of our knowledge, disqualify Entrants from submitting to other competitions. However, it remains the Entrant’s responsibility to check and comply with the eligibility rules of other competitions.

4.11. Entrants must sign up using their real names and contact details must be provided. They may still remain anonymous to readers and the public throughout the Prize process if they choose by selecting these options when they submit.

4.12. Works already uploaded to the Libraro platform prior to the start of the Libraro Prize will be NOT automatically entered into the Prize, as different T&Cs apply. This is to enable the latest manuscript draft to be submitted to the Prize.

5.1. In accordance with the Libraro Terms of Service, Entrants retain full copyright of their Submissions.

5.2. Full First Drafts will never be shared on or outside the Libraro platform without the author’s express permission. Once your manuscript passes the compliance review, it is encrypted and recorded on-chain, providing immutable, time-stamped proof of authorship through Libraro’s 16+ patented blockchain technologies and will not be shared outside of the Libraro’s platform without the author’s express permission.

5.3. Submissions, including Sample Chapters and Full First Drafts, will not be used for AI training.

5.4. Entrants’ personal data will be processed in line with Libraro’s Privacy Policy.

6.1. The Reader Engagement Prize will launch on the 19th of February 2026, and the reader engagement activity on the Libraro Platform will run from the 19th February to 20th March 2026. Reader engagement will help provide authors with constructive feedback, other readers with informative views, and publishing partners with useful information with regard to publishing potential, as well as informing the shortlisting process.

6.2. Reader interactions (such as likes, comments, shares, or saves) will be recorded and considered when assessing Submissions. Engagement data will contribute to the shortlisting process, but will not be the sole determinant; Libraro retains discretion over the final shortlist. The weighting of reader engagement relative to jury assessment will not be disclosed.

6.3. A shortlist of six (6) Submissions will be chosen based on a combination of reader feedback and jury assessment. The shortlist will be announced on the 21st April 2026.

6.4. A judging panel will then consider the six (6) shortlisted Submissions.

6.5. Judges will evaluate the entries on literary, commercial, and storytelling quality, originality, and reader engagement

6.6. The winner will be announced by 13th May 2026.

6.7. The judges’ decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.

6.8. Following the judging panel’s decision, Libraro will contact the prize-winners. If following Libraro’s contact the prize-winners cannot be contacted or are not available or have not claimed their prize within two (2) business calendar days of the Announcement Date, Libraro reserves the right to offer the relevant prize to the next eligible Entrant.

6.9. For the purposes of these Terms, the “Announcement Date” means the date on which Libraro publicly announces the shortlist or the winner of the Prize, as applicable, on the Libraro website and/or via official press release.

7.1. By entering the Libraro Prize competition, each Entrant agrees to be published by Hachette UK in the event they are the winner of the Libraro Prize or, they are eligible for publication through the operation of these Prize Terms and Conditions and an offer to publish their manuscript is made. Subject to i) the condition that the winner proceeds to publish their book through Libraro’s publishing partner, Hachette UK, and ii) separate agreement between the winning author and Libraro to be negotiated in good faith, the winner will benefit from a £50,000 Prize package, funded solely by Libraro, comprising a £30,000 prize and £20,000 towards the marketing of the finished book, and a book deal with Hachette UK and managed by Libraro in conjunction with Hachette UK. For the avoidance of doubt, the £50,000 Prize package will only be provided to the winner of the Libraro Prize, notwithstanding any circumstances.

7.2. The publishing partner reserves the right not to publish the winning Full Manuscript if, in their professional judgment, it is deemed unsuitable for publication.

7.3. Shortlisted authors will receive support in refining their submissions, including guidance on synopsis, blurb, story about your story and presentation.

7.4. For the avoidance of doubt, the £50,000 Prize package is sponsored fully and exclusively by Libraro and Hachette bears no responsibility for the financial aspects of the Prize package.

There are two prizes reserved for readers: A) the Libraro Reader Referral Prize and B) the Libraro Reader Engagement Prize.

8.1. The Libraro Reader Referral Prize will reward the reader who refers the winning author and will be eligible for a £10,000 referral prize.

Conditions to win the Libraro Reader Referral Prize:

If the winning author was referred to the Libraro Prize competition by more than one individual, Libraro will award the Reader Referral Prize to the person whose tracked referral URL / token was utilised the first time the writer joined the Libraro Platform. An author or Entrant cannot claim the Reader Referral Prize.

If the winner was not referred, Libraro shall utilise the funds to encourage writers to sign up to the Libraro Platform, in its sole discretion.

8.2. The Libraro Reader Engagement Prize rewards readers who actively engage with the Prize entries on the Libraro Platform. This will be judged on the basis of qualitative data and subjective criteria, which includes, but is not limited to, readers who have read sample chapters, have liked or saved entries, have followed eligible authors, and have provided credible, helpful and substantial comments that are beneficial to authors, other readers, and potential publishers. The criteria will include readers who champion Libraro Prize 2026 entries on social media.

9.1. By making a Submission i) an author agrees and consents; or where ii) an Entrant submits on behalf of an author they warrant that they have procured the agreement and consent of the author, to the following:

1) if the author wins the Libraro Prize or one of the top prizes in the Libraro Prize competition, Libraro will act act as their non-exclusive publishing agent for purposes of the publication of the winning entry; and

2) Libraro will retain 20% commission on author royalties from the publishing contract, with the remainder of the agreement to be agreed in good faith.

9.2. An Entrant or author, as the case may be, acknowledges and agrees that this clause 9 (along with clause 7) constitutes a material condition of the agreement.

10.1. Entrants with accessibility needs will be supported via Libraro’s helpdesk and user guides.

10.2. Authors may choose to submit under a pseudonym for privacy.

10.3. Libraro is committed to inclusivity and will make reasonable adjustments upon request to support entrants with disabilities or additional access needs.

10.4. Libraro will not tolerate trolling, harassment, or abusive behaviour. Any Entrant found to engage in harassment or breach of community standards and the Libraro Terms of Service may be disqualified.

11.1. By entering the competition, all entrants agree that if their work is shortlisted or selected as the winner, their name, entry title, and other relevant details may be announced publicly by Libraro. This may include publication on the Libraro website, social media channels, newsletters, press releases, and other promotional materials including those of our sponsors and partners.

11.2. Shortlisted entrants and the winner will be asked to participate in reasonable publicity and promotional activity, including interviews, events, official photography or media features (including a biography) arranged by Libraro and its partners. While participation will be encouraged to support the Prize and promote their work, Libraro will make reasonable efforts to accommodate the entrant’s availability without further payment to the entrant. At the time of being shortlisted, entrants are expected to flag any reasonable adjustments needed to allow them to take part in prize publicity and promotional activities.

11.3. Shortlisted entrants may be contacted for permission to publish short extracts of their manuscripts to promote the Libraro Prize competition.

12. General

12.1. Entrants will be deemed to have accepted these rules and to have agreed to be bound by them when entering the Libraro Prize competition. Libraro may at its sole discretion disqualify the entry and/or reclaim any award and revise the shortlist and (if applicable) winning entry, if it considers that the entrant has not complied with the terms and conditions contained herein.

12.2. Libraro accepts no responsibility for technical failures, malfunction, nor for any other problem with any server, internet access system, programme software, or otherwise which may result in any entry being lost, late, incomplete or not properly registered or recorded.

12.3. Libraro reserves the right to amend these Terms or withdraw the Prize at its discretion.

12.4. If any of these terms should be determined to be illegal, invalid, or otherwise unenforceable then it shall be severed and deleted from these Prize Terms and Conditions and the remaining clauses shall survive, remain in full force and effect.

12.5. Participation in the Prize is free of charge. Entrants are required to register for a free Libraro account in order to submit their entry and make their work available for the purposes of the Libraro Prize competition. Submission or participation does not require any payment, purchase, or subscription to a premium or paid version of the Libraro platform, either now or in the future.

12.6. An Entrant being (i) individual, whether a publisher, agent or friend / family, or an (ii) organisation acting in a publishing or agency capacity, who submits a story on behalf of an author, shall be deemed by the act of submitting that author’s manuscript to have obtained the author’s informed permission and approval of all terms and conditions contained herein and to have taken on the responsibility of guaranteeing and procuring the author’s compliance with the Libraro Terms of Service and these Libraro Prize Terms and Conditions. If such publisher or agent has failed to do so, Libraro may at its sole discretion disqualify the entry and/or reclaim any award and revise the shortlist and (if applicable) winning entry.

12.7. By entering and participating on the Libraro Prize competition, Entrants, authors, readers and other user (whether individuals or organisations), acknowledge and agree that to the extent permitted by law, Libraro and any other person(s) in connection with the Libraro Prize will not be liable for any loss or damage (whether such damage or losses were foreseen, foreseeable, known or otherwise) including financially and/or to reputation and/or disappointment, suffered by any entrant or publisher or agent on behalf of an author, entering the Libraro Prize competition or as a result of accepting any of the Libraro prizes and awards.

12.8. The Prize is governed exclusively by the laws of England and Wales. These rules constitute a contract and by entering, Entrants agree that any disputes will be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales, regardless of their country of residence.

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