The Emirates Airline Festival of Literature and Montegrappa has launched the Montegrappa Writing Prize, offering aspiring adult novelists in the UAE the chance to take their first steps in becoming a published author.

 The competition has already brought publishing success for five finalists in the four years that the competition has been running.

Open to all UAE residents above the age of 21, the competition gives unpublished writers the opportunity to have their work judged by top London literary agent, Luigi Bonomi, founder of Luigi Bonomi Associates (LBA). Bonomi represents a number of renowned authors including writer and radio presenter Alan Titchmarsh, Top Gear presenter Richard Hammond and 2014 Festival authors Judy Finnigan and Richard Madeley.

Discovering the next generation of writers is a key goal of the Emirates Literature Foundation, the organiser of the Festival.

Isobel Abulhoul, OBE, CEO and trustee of the Emirates Literature Foundation and director of the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature said: “The talent that the competition has discovered in the UAE is remarkable, we certainly do seem to have tapped into a rich creative seam. Every year has produced at least one published author, and it is wonderful to be able  to encourage our thriving writing community by giving them this opportunity and launching so many of our local authors on the road to success.”

The 2016 Montegrappa Writing Prize winner was Karen Osman (Dear Michael) and runners-up included Emirati Ahmed Bukhatir (Dragon Boy) and Charlotte Butterfield, who has already signed a book deal with HarperCollins for her romance novel, Me, You & Tiramisu.

The winner of the Prize wins a trip to the London Book Fair 2017, a chance to discuss their manuscript in depth with Luigi Bonomi, a Montegrappa Limited Edition Writing Instrument and a copy of the current Writers’ and Artists’ Yearbook.

‘Montegrappa has a long association with writing and literature,’ said Giuseppe Aquila, CEO of Montegrappa Italia. ‘As makers of luxury writing instruments we have found being associated with this competition an extraordinary experience, and we are delighted to provide a stepping stone in the literary careers of UAE’s hidden talents. We are looking forward to the submissions for 2017.’

Entrants must submit a 400-word synopsis and the first 2000 words of their almost completed manuscript via the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature website.

Closing date for entries is January 19, 2017. – TradeArabia News Service