Publishing Prize
Submissions Closed
— 2026 —
Submissions to the 20/40 Prize of 2026 are now closed.
Submissions for the 2027 prize will open in December. View our Competition Guidelines to learn more.
Prize Results
— 2025 —
About the PrizeA new independent publishing prize for fiction and non-fiction.
In an environment where writers find it increasingly difficult to find an audience, Finlay Lloyd is branching out to offer a publishing opportunity for fiction and non-fiction prose works between 20,000 and 40,000 words through the 20/40 Publishing Prize.
Finlay Lloyd is dedicated to identifying and encouraging good writing free from external pressures such as reputation and the undue influence of market forces. In keeping with this philosophy, 20/40 entries will be evaluated by a judging panel that will read all submissions ‘blind’, with a focus on creative inventiveness and quality.
The 2026 Judging PanelThe 20/40 Prize Judging Panel for 2026 includes the previous Prize winners, Angus Gaunt and Kim Swivel. They will be joined Kevin Brophy, Meredith McKinney and Finlay Lloyd publisher, Julian Davies.
A message from Finlay Lloyd’s publisher and commissioning editor, Julian Davies.
We’re incredibly excited to be able to encourage writers to submit pieces of this length, a scope which has proven itself through time to be particularly engaging and rewarding for writers and their readers. It’s long enough to allow the rich development of a concept but tight enough to encourage focus and succinctness.
Each year we plan to select two winning authors, closely supporting them through the editorial process with care and enthusiasm, and publishing their entries in line with Finlay Lloyd’s innovative design standards.
Writing can be an isolating pastime, so we’re looking forward to giving a new and ongoing opportunity to writers, and to seeing their manuscripts come in—some perhaps after development over many years, some after a recent flurry of activity.
If 20/40 can offer an incentive for writers to get down to work and hone their expressive skills, we’ll be delighted. We believe the reading public is hungry for writing of quality that is published with care and flare as well-designed and engaging paper artefacts.
The 20/40 Publishing Prize is overseen by an expert advisory board:
John Clanchy
Donna Ward
Dr Meredith McKinney
Emeritus Professor Kevin Brophy AM
With assistance from
Strategic Adviser: Dr Bidda Jones AM
Technical Adviser: James Smith
Submissions Enquires:
2040submissions@gmail.com