PITCH JERICHO COMPETITION 2024
Can you sell your novel with a single line?
Put your pitch to the test and be in with a chance to win a fantastic prize.
Our winner will be chosen during a live online finale event in front of a panel of literary agents and live audience.
How it works
Entries will open on 8 April at 12:00pm BST and will close on 29 April 2024 at 4:00pm BST.
To be considered, elevator pitches must be a single sentence and under 50 words. Fiction and non-fiction submissions are welcome.
If you’re a Premium Member, your entry is free! Premium Members that join before the competition deadline are also entitled to free entry.
If you’re not a Premium Member and you’d like to get involved, you can purchase a competition entry for £10.
The Final
Our fifteen shortlisted writers will read their pitches live in our online finale event on 31 May 2024 to a panel of agents.
We’ll be joined by Sian Ellis-Martin from Blake Friedmann, Jo Williamson from Antony Harwood and Hannah Schofield from LBA Books.
The Prize
The overall winner, chosen via audience poll during the event, will receive:
- An Agent Submission Pack Review (worth up to £375)
- A 15-minute One-to-One with a literary agent of their choosing (worth up to £70)
- Eternal glory (priceless!)
But that’s not all!
We’ll be giving all entrants access to our Writing Your Elevator Pitch masterclass with Jericho Writers founder Harry Bingham.
After you’ve purchased your entry, the link will be included in your confirmation email. Premium Members can watch the masterclass now.
We’ll also be inviting all entrants to our online live finale event where you’ll get to find out if you made the longlist and you’ll get to watch us crown the winner with the help of a panel of literary agents on 31 May at 7:00pm BST.
Watch a Previous Competition Finale
Wondering what an online novel competition looks like? Check out our 2023 First 500 Novel Competition finale, hosted by Debi Alper, Anna Burtt, featuring superstar agents Alice Caprio and Abi Fellows.
Ready to enter?
Entries close 4:00pm BST on 29 April 2024. Make sure to double check your pitch as well as the details you include in the form. Once you’ve hit submit, there’s no going back.
When you’re ready, either purchase an entry or Premium Membership here. Or, if you’re already a Premium Member, you can head right on down to the entry form.
We wish you the very best luck.
Not a member yet? Purchase an entry or join us as a Premium Member for free entry
Purchase an entry to Pitch Jericho
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The Rules
Everything you need to know about how to enter without breaking any rules
- Entry is open to all Premium Members of Jericho Writers or those who have purchased an entry. If your Premium Membership expires during the competition period you must either renew your membership or purchase an entry to remain eligible.
- The deadline for entry is 16:00 BST on Monday 29 April, 2024. Late entries will not be considered.
- You may only enter the competition once, so choose the project you feel has the strongest elevator pitch.
- Only entries submitted using the form on this page between 8 and 29 April 2024 will be considered. Entries submitted through other channels will not be considered.
- The shortlist of fifteen writers will be announced on 27 May and contacted directly on the same day.
- You must be available to attend the Pitch Jericho live online event on 31 May, 2024 at 7:00pm BST and willing to appear on screen with us should you be shortlisted.
- The longlist will be announced during the live online event on 31 May, 2024.
- The winner must claim their prize(s) within one year.
All entries must:
- Be your own unpublished work.
- Be one single sentence and contain no more than 50 words.
- We encourage everyone to enter the Pitch Jericho Competition, no matter your background or where you are in the world. However, if you have already have an agent or are traditionally published at the time of entry, we ask that you leave this opportunity for those who could most benefit from it.
The Judging Process
Find out how we shortlist entries and how the winner is decided
Once submitted, personally identifying information is removed from your entry before being passed on to our readers. This is to remove any bias from the judging process.
All entries will be read by two reader judges on the Jericho Writers’ Team. The entries are given a mark of ‘no’; ‘maybe’; ‘yes’; or a ‘Golden Yes’.
The longlist will be made from the entries with the highest overall mark across both readers.
The shortlist will be announced on 27 May, 2024. We will also contact the shortlisted writers on the same day.
All fifteen shortlisted writers will attend the live online event on 31 May, 2024 and be invited to join us on-screen to read their pitch and receive feedback from our panel of agents. The audience will vote for the favourite entries via a live poll. This live poll will decide our winner.
If you have any further access needs or requirements, please do get in touch with our events team who will be happy to help.
We’ve helped hundreds of writers launch their careers through our competitions
Could you be next?
Frequently asked
questions
What are the key dates for the Pitch Jericho Competition?
- The competition opens for entries on Monday 8 April, 2024.
- The competition closes at 16:00 BST on Monday 29 April, 2024.
- The shortlisted writers will be contacted on Monday 27 May, 2024.
- The live finale will be held at 19:00 BST on Friday 31 May, 2024.
How many writers will make it to the finals?
Fifteen shortlisted writers will read their entries during the online live final in front of a panel of literary agents and our online audience who will vote to crown the winner. During the online live event, we will also announce the longlist of entries who were highly commended but did not quite make the final fifteen.
Will agents be in attendance at the live online final event?
Yes. Three agents will join the panel, although they don’t choose the winner (that’s up to the audience) they will give feedback on each entry! It’s a great chance to get your work heard by industry experts and hear their feedback. Plus, we have had agents request full manuscripts while live on the event if they like what they hear.
I am terrified of speaking on camera, help!
During the Pitch Jericho live online final, we’ll ask the shortlisted writers to read their pitch out in front of a panel of literary agents and audience. However, if this still sounds scary, a member of the Jericho Writers’ team can read your work on your behalf.
I want to enter but can’t afford the entry fee. What can I do?
We try to make everything we do as accessible as possible but totally understand that for some people, paying to enter a competition isn’t financially viable. If this is the case for you, please get in touch via email and we will try our best to make things work. Make sure to allow plenty of time to get in touch with us before the deadline on 29 April 2024.
Author Vikki Patis has kindly sponsored an entry for an underrepresented writer. If that’s you, please head to our sponsored entry page and fill out the application form before we close on Thursday 18 April. We’ll be in touch with everyone who applies by Friday 19 April to let them know if they’ve been successful or not.
Don’t forget, if you are a Premium Member your entry is included in your membership.
Where do I go for more information on accessibility?
We’d love to hear from any writer who is concerned about accessing the Pitch Jericho Competition and will always do our best to help where we can. Contact our team on info@jerichowriters.com.
How long should my elevator pitch be?
All entries need to be a single line of no more than 50 words. We know crafting an elevator pitch can be tricky. That’s why we’ll be sharing the Writing Your Elevator Pitch masterclass with everyone who purchases an entry. After you’ve made your purchase, the link will be included in your confirmation email. Premium Members can head to Masterclasses and watch it now.
What’s the benefit of joining as Premium Member vs. paying an entry fee?
We think our Premium Membership is the best, so we’re obviously going to tell you to do that over paying an entry fee alone! But either option is a totally viable way to enter the competition and has no impact whatsoever on how your entry will be judged.
That said, Premium Members benefit from so much excellent stuff including heaps of online events, masterclasses, video courses and extra discounts.
If you’re at the stage of querying, Premium Membership is an excellent resource and also includes a free query letter review from our in-house team of experts. We’re also available on the phone and email five days a week to Premium Members to answer any question you have about writing and publishing (super helpful if you need a boost after a rejection, or advice on which agent will love your work). On top of that, Premium Members have exclusive access to AgentMatch – our unique literary agent database to find your perfect agent. You can find more information about Premium Membership here.
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.
