Craft Chat How do Judges Pick a Longlist

[Pamela Jo]

I thought this had some interesting insights. From the Cheshire Novel prize
https://us10.campaign-archive.com/home/?u=848485b20a679d3f57173ed42&id=f494e08bdc

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​ Behind the scenes: how we choose our Longlist After four years of running this prize, I recently found my notebook of judging decisions/Zoom conversations. Inside were pages of comments, questions, disagreements and enthusiastic ticks. These were the conversations that happened while we decided which entries make the longlist. I thought I’d share a few with you. A “no” does not necessarily mean that a book isn’t good. Sometimes the writing is beautiful, but the story/hook/inciting incident has not quite yet arrived on the page by the end of the 5000 words. Sometimes the premise is commercial, but the execution needs more work. Sometimes we admire an entry’s beautiful prose without feeling compelled to turn the page. And a “yes” is rarely about one ingredient. We look at the craft, the voice, the characters and the pace. We ask whether the premise is clear, whether the opening delivers on it and whether we can imagine the readers who will love the finished book. Then there are the entries we argue about; the imperfect, memorable ones that one judge or more refuses to let go of That is often how a book reaches the longlist. One judge sees something. Another asks the difficult question. Someone makes the commercial case. Someone else returns to the voice. We discuss, disagree and occasionally change one another’s minds. Eventually, the question becomes very simple: Would you fight for it? If the answer is yes, then it goes on the list. Whatever the decision, keep going As we reach our final decisions, your entry may make our Top 100, our Top 50 or our longlist. It may not make a list this time. Whichever email arrives, please remember this: a competition result is one decision about one version of your work, made by one group of readers at one particular moment. It is not a verdict on your talent, your potential or the future of your story. Every entrant will receive feedback. Read it, give yourself time to absorb it and then return to your work. Take what helps you, question what doesn’t and use it to make the next draft stronger. And you can enter again next year with the same book or a different one. Marianne Van Pelt entered our prize for four consecutive years before she won in 2025. She took our feedback on board, kept writing, refining and coming back. Her first result was not the end of her story, and neither was her second or third. But she won with the fourth! What if she’d given up? Louise Jensen-Duffy who won our 2023 prize had entered the year before with a completely different book. The next year she won Cheshire Novel Prize and her novel was published in Australia earlier this year and in the UK in October. Both writers secured agents through our prize judges. The same lesson applies far beyond writing. Michael Jordan was cut from his high-school varsity basketball team as a sophomore. He went on to become a six-time NBA champion and one of the greatest basketball players of all time. That early decision did not define what he was capable of; what he did next did. And what did he do? he proved them wrong and kept going. Not making a list can hurt. Let yourself feel disappointed, but don’t turn one result into a conclusion about who you are or your writing ability. A “no” can mean “not yet.” It can mean “not for these judges.” Sometimes it simply means that your work needs more time. Feedback gives you somewhere to begin, but persistence is what carries you forward. Celebrate the courage it took to finish something and send it out into the world. Then return to the book! or a different one. And while you’re waiting, if you are in Europe, don’t swelter too much in this heat. Find some shade, pour yourself something cold and make the most of it, perhaps with a notebook beside you or a good book! Whatever the decision, keep writing. We will be in touch at the end of August with our long-list date in September and exciting news about our subsidised writing course in the autumn. Warmest regards

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​ Behind the scenes: how we choose our Longlist After four years of running this prize, I recently found my notebook of judging decisions/Zoom conversations. Inside were pages of comments, questions, disagreements and enthusiastic ticks. These were the conversations that happened while we decided which entries make the longlist. I thought I’d share a few with you. A “no” does not necessarily mean that a book isn’t good. Sometimes the writing is beautiful, but the story/hook/inciting incident has not quite yet arrived on the page by the end of the 5000 words. Sometimes the premise is commercial, but the execution needs more work. Sometimes we admire an entry’s beautiful prose without feeling compelled to turn the page. And a “yes” is rarely about one ingredient. We look at the craft, the voice, the characters and the pace. We ask whether the premise is clear, whether the opening delivers on it and whether we can imagine the readers who will love the finished book. Then there are the entries we argue about; the imperfect, memorable ones that one judge or more refuses to let go of That is often how a book reaches the longlist. One judge sees something. Another asks the difficult question. Someone makes the commercial case. Someone else returns to the voice. We discuss, disagree and occasionally change one another’s minds. Eventually, the question becomes very simple: Would you fight for it? If the answer is yes, then it goes on the list. Whatever the decision, keep going As we reach our final decisions, your entry may make our Top 100, our Top 50 or our longlist. It may not make a list this time. Whichever email arrives, please remember this: a competition result is one decision about one version of your work, made by one group of readers at one particular moment. It is not a verdict on your talent, your potential or the future of your story. Every entrant will receive feedback. Read it, give yourself time to absorb it and then return to your work. Take what helps you, question what doesn’t and use it to make the next draft stronger. And you can enter again next year with the same book or a different one. Marianne Van Pelt entered our prize for four consecutive years before she won in 2025. She took our feedback on board, kept writing, refining and coming back. Her first result was not the end of her story, and neither was her second or third. But she won with the fourth! What if she’d given up? Louise Jensen-Duffy who won our 2023 prize had entered the year before with a completely different book. The next year she won Cheshire Novel Prize and her novel was published in Australia earlier this year and in the UK in October. Both writers secured agents through our prize judges. The same lesson applies far beyond writing. Michael Jordan was cut from his high-school varsity basketball team as a sophomore. He went on to become a six-time NBA champion and one of the greatest basketball players of all time. That early decision did not define what he was capable of; what he did next did. And what did he do? he proved them wrong and kept going. Not making a list can hurt. Let yourself feel disappointed, but don’t turn one result into a conclusion about who you are or your writing ability. A “no” can mean “not yet.” It can mean “not for these judges.” Sometimes it simply means that your work needs more time. Feedback gives you somewhere to begin, but persistence is what carries you forward. Celebrate the courage it took to finish something and send it out into the world. Then return to the book! or a different one. And while you’re waiting, if you are in Europe, don’t swelter too much in this heat. Find some shade, pour yourself something cold and make the most of it, perhaps with a notebook beside you or a good book! Whatever the decision, keep writing. We will be in touch at the end of August with our long-list date in September and exciting news about our subsidised writing course in the autumn. Warmest regards

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[Sedayne]

Can we pitch it in one sentence? No
Can we stop thinking about it? Also no.

I love that.