Nigerian author Muti’ah Badruddeen has been named among the six shortlist for the prestigious 2025 Discoveries Prize, a literary initiative that champions emerging female voices from across the UK and Ireland.
The Discoveries programme, now in its fifth year, is run by the Women’s Prize Trust in partnership with Curtis Brown literary agency, Curtis Brown Creative writing school, and Audible. Designed to discover and nurture debut female novelists, the programme reflects a growing commitment to literary diversity, with this year’s shortlist showcasing a broad range of voices, genres, and cultural perspectives.
Badruddeen, the only African on the shortlist, stands out not only for her narrative’s setting but also for the depth of cultural authenticity she brings.
The 2025 Discoveries shortlist includes:
- Muti’ah Badruddeen, A Bowl of River Water
- Sophie Black, The Pass
- Shaiyra Devi, The Persistence of Gravity
- Jac Felipez, A Long Ways from Home
- Rosie Rowell, Down by the Stryth
- Lauren Van Schaik, Seven Sweet Nothings
These six writers were chosen from a longlist of sixteen, itself drawn from hundreds of submissions.
In a statement, Kate Mosse, Chair of the Judging Panel, praised the shortlist saying:
“We are so proud of what Discoveries has achieved in the first five years and salute every writer who has published, or is continuing to work on, her novel. This year’s shortlist judging meeting was such fun – enthusiastic, passionate, full of genuine debate, joy and admiration – and it was very hard getting our excellent longlist down to only six authors. This is a shortlist of talented future novelists and demonstrates the ambition, boldness and confidence of women writers. Now more than ever we need stories that help us to stand in one another’s shoes”
Anna Davis from Curtis Brown Creative and Jess Molloy of Curtis Brown also highlighted the resilience of returning entrants, with over 20% of the longlist comprising women who had submitted in previous years and returned with stronger work.
All shortlisted authors will receive:
- A one-on-one mentoring session with a Curtis Brown literary agent
- A free six-week online writing course of their choice at Curtis Brown Creative
- Participation in a studio session with Audible on writing and recording for audio
The overall winner will be announced on 29 May 2025 and will receive a £5,000 prize and an offer of literary representation from Curtis Brown. Additionally, one author from the shortlist will be named the Discoveries Scholar, earning a full scholarship to the three-month Writing Your Novel course at Curtis Brown Creative, valued at £1,900.
Congratulations, Muti’ah Badruddeen and other shortlisted authors!
Read more about The 2025 Discoveries Prize Shortlist
Bakare Oluwatobiloba
I write to educate, motivate and define history with literature. Just being me!
