Footnote Press and Counterpoints Arts have once again partnered on the Footnote x Counterpoints Prize for writers from refugee and migrant backgrounds, with the 2026 prize focussing on fiction rather than non-fiction.
The submissions window will open from November 27th 2025 until February 13th 2026, with finalists chosen ahead of Refugee Week in June.
Writers can submit their entry here
The award, worth £15,000, includes both a £7,500 cash prize and a publication agreement with Footnote Press with an advance of £7,500. Submissions must be for fiction, for novels centered around themes of displacement, courage and/or belonging that have a literary audience in mind. We welcome eclectic and expansive interpretations of these themes and are especially interested in work that sits at intersections, or across cultures, communities and borders.
Submissions must consist of a sample of 8,000 to 10,000 words, a detailed synopsis of a minimum of 1,500 words, an author bio and video and the answer to some other questions about the author and their proposed novel. The closing date for entries will be 5pm GMT on the 13th February 2026, the shortlist will be chosen by a panel of judges in May 2026 and the winner will be announced in June 2026.
Anyone from a refugee or migrant background, agented or unagented, is eligible to submit an entry for the Prize if they are a current resident of the United Kingdom or Republic of Ireland. We have deliberately refrained from setting any parameters as to what constitutes a refugee or migrant background. You are welcome to submit your work if you identify as being from a refugee or migrant background, and to define your own connection to these terms.
The prize is in association with the Southbank Centre, who will host an event in May 2026 for the shortlisted authors to read and discuss their work. Further partners are to be announced.
To find out more about submission guidelines, eligibility and full terms and conditions, click here.
2025-2026 key dates
November 27th 2025: Submissions open
February 13th 2026 at 5pm: Submissions close
May 2026: Shortlist announced
May 31st 2026: Southbank event for shortlisted writers
June 2026: Winner announced
Prize philosophy
Refugees and migrants make hugely valuable contributions to our arts, culture and society. They have multiple, counterpointed perspectives that often combine different languages, geographies and cultural perspectives, resulting in new ways of seeing and questioning. Within the context of rising xenophobia, it is vital to keep platforming and amplifying these othered narratives in order to emphasise our shared humanity. Literature after all is as much about bearing witness as it is about reimagining the world.
With that in mind, we are proud to present the 2nd edition of the Footnote x Counterpoints literary prize for writers from refugee and migrant backgrounds. The prize is for fiction, centred around themes of displacement, courage and belonging. We welcome eclectic and expansive interpretations of these themes.
Footnote Press is a mission-oriented publisher founded in 2022. We seek to centre marginalised stories and perspectives, through bold, observant and powerful literary-leaning books that explore themes of identity, migration, resistance and reclamation. Just some of our talented authors include Dylan Thomas prize-winning Yasmin Zaher, Irish Book Award shortlisted Maurice Casey, Waterstones Debut Prize shortlisted Hanako Footman and British Book Awards shortlisted Sunny Singh. Offering stories and perspectives from across the world and with authors who have been shortlisted for a huge range of prizes, we are a small list with a big impact.
Counterpoints Arts is a leading national organisation in the field of arts, migration and cultural change. Our mission is to create transformative arts with, by and about refugees and migrants, so that their stories can shape our culture and challenge how our societies view displacement and migration. We work across art forms through programmes that include national and international festivals, film productions, public art works and learning events.
To be the first to hear more about the prize follow us on Instagram at @wearefootnote and @counterpointsarts