International Debut Novel Competition
The International Debut Novel Competition marks 12 years of the Irish Writers Centre's determination to find and celebrate new voices of literature from around the world. You may have known her as Novel Fair, but 2025 sees a new approach to this annual competition once defined as the 'Dragons Den for Writers'.

Our global search for aspiring novelists continues this summer as the Irish Writers Centre opens submissions to the International Debut Novel Competition (IDNC).
From Friday 1 August to Sunday 14 September 2025, the Irish Writers Centre will be on the hunt for new voices of literature around the world. Formerly known as Novel Fair, the now revamped International Debut Novel Competition (IDNC) will ask hopeful, as yet unpublished, novelists to submit 5,000 words of their manuscript and a synopsis with the aim of jumping the publication slush pile and meeting agents and publishers face-to-face or zoom-to-zoom over the course of two days.
2021 winner (The Couples)
Lauren Mackenzie
“It’s changed my life and catapulted me into the literary world in a way that would have taken some time on my own. That’s if I would’ve broken in at all.”

What is the International Debut Novel Competition?
Formerly known as Novel Fair, the Irish Writers Centre International Debut Novel Competition (IDNC) is an annual literary competition that awards twelve unpublished novelists with the opportunity to pitch their novels to leading publishers and literary agents.
We all know the path to publication can feel bewildering and mysterious. The International Debut Novel Competition’s mission is to facilitate first encounters between aspiring novelists and members of the publishing industry. During two IDNC Pitch Days, the 12 winners are given the opportunity to skip the queue and pitch their novels face-to-face or zoom-to-zoom to publishers and agents.
As a first-time novelist it can be difficult to know what an agent or publisher wants and so, in preparation, winners will participate in The Online Prep Day where they will learn how to craft the ideal pitch and what to expect from their encounters during our IDNC Pitch Days.
In the past, the competition has been attended by representatives from: Curtis Brown, Penguin Random House, Conville & Walsh, époque, Fletcher & Co, Poolbeg Press, Harper Collins, John Murray, Hachette, Lilliput Press, New Island Books, The Book Bureau, The Bent Agency, Greene & Heaton, Storyline Literary Agency and many others.
Selecting the winners
An international panel of judges will review all the submissions anonymously between mid-September and early November.
Key Dates
12 winners will be notified by The Phone Call on Friday 7 November 2025.
After The Online Prep Day on Friday 21 November, The IDNC Pitch Days will take place on Thursday 27 November and Friday 28 November 2025, a two-day hybrid event where the 12 IDNC winners will be given the opportunity to pitch their debut novels to national and international publishers and literary agents.
2022 winner (Mouthing)
Orla Mackey
“Novel Fair will forever stand out as one of the highlights of my life. It’s only since Novel Fair that I’ve dared to call myself a writer. And even know, that word sticks in my throat a little.”

Application Process
How can I enter the International Debut Novel Competition?
- To enter the Irish Writers Centre International Debut Novel Competition 2025, applicants are required to submit a 5,000-word extract of their novel, as well as a 500-word synopsis.
- The entry fee for applications is €65. There will be 10 free entries for student / unwaged or senior, proof will required.
- Submissions will be via Submittable and will open on Friday 1 August and close on Sunday 14 September at 11.59pm.
You cannot submit until Friday 1 August.
Submit to Novel Fair 2025
Terms & Conditions
Entries are welcome from anywhere in the world, however, in order to be eligible, applicants must be available to attend our IDNC Pitch Days, either remotely or in-person.
Before entering the competition, please ensure that you have read the IDNC Terms & Conditions 2025 very carefully.
Please see a PDF list of Frequently Asked Questions.
If you have any questions about the application process, please email IDNC@irishwriterscentre.ie.
2022 winner (Lightborne)
Hesse Phillips
“Because of Novel Fair, I’m getting to live out a dream that had seemed practically impossible just hours before signing on to my first agent / editor meeting.”

Success Stories
While the competition does not guarantee that first-time novelists will secure a publishing deal, there have been major success stories. This competition has been a life changing opportunity for writers across the globe, with previous winners going on to win or be nominated for the Rooney Prize, Costa First Novel Award, Irish Book Awards, Carnegie Award, Kate O’Brien Award, Great Reads Ireland Award, The Kerry Group Irish Novel of the Year Award, Arthur C. Clarke Award, The Yoto Carnegie medal, Christopher Ewart-Biggs Memorial Prize for Literature, Comedy Women in Print Award, and many others.
Since its original inception in 2011, 37 winners have found a home for their debut novels.
There have been a huge number of success stories since the competition began, including:
Published
- Niamh Boyce, The Herbalist (Penguin Ireland, 2013)
- Janet E Cameron, Cinnamon Toast at the End of the World (Hachette, 2013)
- Kevin Curran, Beatsploitation (Liberties Press, 2013)
- Alan Timmons, Here in No Place (New Island, 2013)
- Susan Lannigan, White Feathers, (O’Brien Press, 2014)
- Daniel Seery, A Model Partner (Liberties Press, 2014)
- Andrea Carter, Death at Whitewater Church (Constable, 2015)
- Catriona Lally, Eggshells (Liberties Press, 2015)
- Faith Hogan, My Husband’s Wives (Aria, 2016)
- Orla McAlinden, The Accidental Wife (Sowilo Press, 2016)
- Rachel Kelly, The Edge of Heaven (NewCon Press, 2017)
- RM Clarke, The Glass Door (Dalzell Press, 2018)
- Breda Joy, Eat the Moon (Poolbeg Press, 2018)
- Marion Reynolds, A Soldiers Wife, (Poolbeg Press, 2018)
- Kealan Ryan, The Middle Place (Mercier Press, 2019)
- David Brennan, Upperdown (époque press, 2019)
- Michelle Gallen, Big Girl, Small Town (Algonquin, 2020)
- Eoin Lane, Beyond the Horizon (Blackstone Publishing, 2020)
- Marianne Lee, A Quiet Tide (New Island, 2020)
- Alice Lyons, Oona (Lilliput, 2020)
- Gráinne Murphy, Where the Edge Is (Legend Press, 2020)
- Sue Divin, Guard Your Name (Macmillan, 2021)
- Fidelma Kelly, Because He Loved Her (Poolbeg Press, 2022)
- Laura McKenna, Words to Shape My Name (New Island, 2021)
- Neil Sharpson, When the Sparrow Falls (Macmillan, 2021)
- Olivia Fitzsimons, The Quiet Whispers Never Stop (John Murray Press, 2022)
- Aingeala Flannery, The Amusements (Sandycove, 2022)
- Bryan Moriarty, Sounds Like Fun (Hodder, 2023)
- Declan Toohey, Perpetual Comedown (New Island, 2023)
- Lauren Mackenzie, The Couples (Hachette, 2023)
- Orla Mackey, Mouthing (Hamish Hamilton, 2024)
- Estelle Birdy, Ravelling (Lilliput, 2024)
- Alison Langley, Ilona Gets a Phone (Dedalus 2024)
- Miki Lentin, Winter Sun (Afsana, 2024)
- Anne Hamilton, The Almost Truth (Legend Times, 2024)
- Hesse Phillips, Lightborne (Atlantic Books, 2024)
- Rachel Blackmore, Constanza (Renegade Books) August 2024
2020 winner (Winter Sun)
Miki Lentin
“I learnt a huge amount about writing, myself and also what works and what doesn’t work from a published perspective.”

“Be confident in your voice – and have a banging synopsis”: Past Novel Fair Participants Discuss What Makes a Winning Manuscript
Watch the online launch event of the last Irish Writers Centre Novel Fair that took place in April, 2024. Tune in to this panel discussion to learn first-hand experiences of the competition’s journey and insider tips on how writers might prepare their submissions ahead of the upcoming deadline. Featuring author and past winner, Olivia Fitzsimons, literary agent, Conor Nagle, and former judge, Susan Tomaselli .