4 years
of our Breakthrough Writers' Programme
200
writers supported so far
Breakthrough Writers' Programme
Our exciting programme of free scholarships, courses and mentoring opportunities for under-represented writers.
Scholarships
Our scholarships support writers who might not otherwise have the opportunity to attend our selective-application writing courses. Click the button below to view and apply for our 2025 scholarships.
Mentoring for LGBTQIA+ Writers
We are accepting applications for our 2025 Breakthrough Mentoring Programme for LGBTQIA+ Writers. Four talented writers will receive nine months of mentoring from a published author, plus a tutorial with a literary agent.
Breakthrough Class of 2024
In 2024 we supported 20 talented, under-represented writers via our Breakthrough Writers' Programme – funded by Curtis Brown, HW Fisher and individual author-sponsors.
Story so far
Read all about our objectives for Breakthrough. Meet the talented under-represented writers we've been working with through our free courses, scholarships and mentoring.
Competitions
Discoveries 2025
Discoveries invites all unpublished and unagented women writers aged 18 and up, currently residing in the UK or Ireland and writing in English, to submit their works of adult fiction to the Discoveries Prize.
The Andromeda Award
The contest is open to anyone based in the UK or USA with a full length science fiction or fantasy novel. The winning author will be awarded $5,000, second place $3,000 and a spot on our nine-week Writing Fantasy course, and third place $1,000 and a spot in one of our six-week online courses.