Submissions for this year’s Friday Night Live are now open
Our flagship competition is back and will be held live on stage at London Festival of Writing 2025!
All Saturday and Weekend ticket holders to the London Festival of Writing are eligible to submit one piece of writing for consideration for Friday Night Live*.
*Friday Night Live will actually be on Saturday. We know it’s weird. We would rename if we could, but apparently Saturday Night Live was taken!
How does it work?
Friday Night Live will take place on Saturday 28 June during the gala dinner starting at 18:30 BST, with readings starting after mains and voting taking place after dessert has been served. Only Saturday and Weekend ticket holders can attend. Workshops on Saturday end at 17:00 BST, so you’ll have time to leave the venue and change into your evening finest if you wish. Tiaras and tuxedos are encouraged!
The ceremony itself will feature a panel of six special guest literary agents. The eight finalists will be invited on stage to read their entries. The panel will give feedback on their openings and, at the end, we’ll invite the audience to vote for their favourite. The winner will then be invited on stage to speak to the audience about their work and what they’re going to do with their prize!
The Prize
One winner will be chosen from our eight finalists live on the night. They will win:
- A Manuscript Assessment from Jericho Writers.
- Lifetime membership to Jericho Writers.
- A 30-minute one-to-one with a literary agent who specialises in the winning entries’ genre.
- Eternal glory!
The Rules
- Only London Festival of Writing Saturday and Weekend ticket holders can enter Friday Night Live.
- If you’ve entered any of our other competitions or a previous Friday Night Live, you may also enter this year’s Friday Night Live.
- The deadline for entry is 10am BST on Monday 16 June 2025. Judging will commence immediately, so please ensure your entry is submitted in plenty of time!
- All entries will be read by two reader judges and given a mark out of 10, based on the style, effectiveness of the prose, and the desire to read more. The longlist will be made from the entries with the highest overall mark across both readers.
- We encourage everyone to apply for Friday Night Live, no matter your background or where you are in the world. However, if you have an agent or are traditionally published, we ask that you leave this opportunity for those who could most benefit from it.
- Finalists will be contacted on 20 June 2025. We will be in touch in due course about the event.
- If you have any further access needs or requirements, please do get in touch with our team at info@jerichowriters.com who will be happy to help.
Enter Friday Night Live
Your entry must:
- Be in a word document or PDF.
- Contain the first 500 words (ish) of your manuscript in any genre (to the nearest sentence end).
- Not contain your name, as judging is done blindly.
- Include the title and genre of your work at the top, if you can.
Note: If you can’t see the below form it will be because you’re either not logged in, or you’ve not purchased a Saturday or Weekend ticket. If you’ve purchased a Sunday ticket and you’d like to upgrade to a full weekend ticket, get in touch with us.
Watch a previous Friday Night Live
Wondering what the Friday Night Live final looks like? Check out 2022’s hosted by Debi Alper, featuring 6 agent judges.
Frequently asked
questions
When is the in-person Friday Night Live?
Friday Night Live will take place on Saturday June 28 during the gala dinner, with readings starting at 19:30 and voting taking place at 21:00 after dessert has been served. Yes, it’s on a Saturday – but it’s still the Friday Night Live we all know and love. Humour us!
How many people will make the shortlist?
Eight entries will be chosen. They will read their work on stage in front of the live audience.
I’ve already entered the First 500 competition, can I also enter Friday Night Live?
If you’ve previously entered the First 500 Competition or a previous Friday Night Live, you may also enter this year’s Friday Night Live, even if you were a finalist.
Will agents be in attendance?
We’ll have a panel of agents and other literary professionals available to comment on the finalists’ work, although they don’t choose the winner! Friday Night Live is a great chance to get your work heard by industry experts.
How is the competition judged?
It is judged by the audience! The winner will be chosen via digital vote.
I am terrified of public speaking, help!
If you’re contacted as a finalist but don’t want to read your work aloud, let us know and a member of the Jericho Writers team can read your work on your behalf.
Where do I go for more information on accessibility?
We’d love to hear from any writer who is concerned about accessing the London Festival of Writing and will always do our best to help where we can. Contact our team on info@jerichowriters.com.
I can’t see the answer to my question here. Who do I contact?
Our team is made up of writers and readers who are passionate about the written word. If you have a question, pop it over to us at info@jerichowriters.com and we’ll be happy to help.
Please note that we’re a small team and currently experiencing a high number of calls and emails. We promise we’ll get back to you as soon as we possibly can.
I’m only coming on Sunday, can I still enter Friday Night Live?
Unfortunately, only Saturday and Weekend ticket holders can enter Friday Night Live. If you’d like to upgrade from a Sunday ticket to a Weekend ticket, please reach out to us.
