In September 2025, Hawkeye Publishing made all my word nerd dreams come true by publishing my debut novel, Summer, in Between. It’s been a bit of a whirlwind, to be honest, in the most wonderful of ways. There’s been so many pinch me moments, some of which I shared in this post, and I owe it all to one thing: canva
The Hawkeye Publishing Manuscript Development Prize
Entries have just opened for the 2027 round, and so I thought I’d take a few moments and a couple of hundred words to talk about my experience with this incredible, life-changing prize.
Here’s a little timeline:
December 2023:
I entered Summer, in Between in the 2024 MDP.
February 2024:
Summer, in Between made the longlist. I was thrilled to my core. After a year of pitching followed by thanks, but it’s not quite there yet, someone was telling me my baby wasn’t completely ugly.
March 2024:
Summer, in Between made the shortlist. I received the email at school pick up and by the time the cherubs got to the car I had huge ugly tears to the point they thought something terrible had happened.
April 2024:
Summer, in Between won. It won. It won!
October 2024:
Hawkeye Publishing offered me a contract to trad publish Summer, in Between
September 2025:
I celebrated my launch with limoncello spritzes and cannoli towers at the book launch of my dreams
I’m not the first author to wax lyrical on the importance of writing competitions. Here’s a couple of reasons why they’re a good idea to explore:
- They’re a fantastic way to build your writing resume
- They’re a great motivator if you’re someone who writes to deadlines
- They build community- I built connections that have become treasured friendships with my some of my fellow long listers well before I won
- In terms of comps that provide feedback, the feedback from judges is (usually! There are some exceptions!) constructive and useful
- Placing gives a massive confidence boost.
Would you like another reason why I think they’re a good idea?
They make you get your work off your desktop and in front of other people. I read a fabulous article a while back that gave me a much needed perspective boost- basically, aim for 100 rejections a year, and you’re bound to start having more acceptances than rejections. I’m paraphrasing really badly here, but read it for yourself if you need some convincing.
Anyhoo- back to the Hawkeye MD Prize:
I entered because of the opportunity for feedback. As above, I’d successfully pitched Summer, in Between five times to publishers and agents at pitching events, with five requests for full materials. Each request ended in a ‘not quite there’ message, which, of course, is nicer than a blunt ‘bugger off,’ but I knew something wasn’t right, something was missing in the steps between pitching and the actual work. I thought the Hawkeye judges could help me nut that out.
The other thing that I really liked about it (other than the incredible stable of Aussie authors) was the focus on the writer having a clear understanding of their audience. This told me I’d have a say in my communications and publicity. As someone with over 25 years in communications and marketing, having input into ‘selling’ my book, and telling its story was incredibly important to me. The process of putting together a strategy as part of my strategy was an opportunity to step away from the manuscript and look at the bigger picture, to think clearly and deeply about who I’d written this book for, and how readers could experience it. As a Young Adult author, I loved highlighting the why behind my book and how I could communicate that.
The other thing I liked about the idea of working with Hawkeye was that it would be a collaborative approach. Hawkeye is a small trad press, and so I wouldn’t be lost in a sea of authors and new releases. The months between contract and publication and beyond proved exactly that. I’ve felt so supported every step of the way, and I couldn’t be more grateful. The whole experience was, as above, life-changing.
If you’re considering entering a writing comp- do it! Read the submission guidelines. Follow them to the letter, and set your work free.
The Hawkeye Publishing MD Prize is open right now – what are you waiting for?