We are excited to announce the BPA First Novel Award 2022 Shortlist. This year’s judges, literary agents Rowan Lawton and Marina de Pass from The Soho Agency and award-winning author Jo Bloom (Permission, Ridley Road), found it difficult to choose just six titles from an exceptional Longlist but look forward to reading a further 15,000 words of the selected entries. Prizes include agent introductions as well as cash and an editorial report. BPA will announce the winner, as well as the runner-up and highly commended entrant, in early October. The names of all longlisted writers will be announced at the same time.

We received over 950 entries from writers throughout the UK, as well as from Australia, New Zealand, North America and Europe. The shortlist contains a spread of genres including Commercial, Historical, Thriller, and Speculative.

Many congratulations to the authors of the following six outstanding titles:

Life’s Too Short

My Father, the God

On My Mind

Petal

Taking on the King

White Yams