Awards and Prizes

ByDan Howarth

Hi Everyone,

It’s been a while but this website is back with a shiny new look thanks to my good friend, Daniel Willcocks.

I’m back to update you with a couple of wonderful pieces of news.

First – the big one!

I am officially an award-nominated writer. My 2025 novel, Lionhearts was shortlisted for Best Horror Novel at the British Fantasy Awards. To say I was flattered, surprised, amazed etc would be understating it somewhat.

Lionhearts is my least-loved novel (at least in terms of sales) but it’s a book I am very, very proud of. It pushed me as a writer – more on my Substack HERE. To see it on this list with some wonderful and well-known writers is a thrill like no other. A true career high point.

To the best of my knowledge I am the first self-published writer to make this list. (Yes I know Adam Nevill was shortlisted AND won for The Reddening but he had already won the award three times at this point!) I’ve kind of come from nowhere with this and although I’m the rank outsider to win, I’m thrilled to be here and am taking this as a mark of both quality and professionalism when it comes to my work.

Look at that LIST!

If you fancy grabbing yourself a copy of my unloved, beautiful book, then click here to do so.

Some more good news happened this week. I’d entered the I Am In Print horror novel competition. This is for unpublished books (I think in some cases, unfinished, but mine was not). I submitted the opening 3,500 words of my unpublished novel The Beacons. This is a book which is out at a few places right now. I love the concept and will go into it more nearer the time of release.

I paid my £16 entry fee and mostly forgot about the competition… Until…

Screenshot

They announced the winner! Me!

What an unbelievable result! It was one of those emails you have to read twice to fully understand! A huge thank you to judge Marilia Savvides. I won a lovely cash prize and some other agent-related goodies.

After so many near misses in competitions, it’s fantastic to finally be able to say I’ve won something. Sure, nobody writes to win things, but they definitely don’t hurt when they happen!

Anyway, that’s enough peacocking for me. I can feel my cheeks going red. I’ve got books to write.

Take it easy,

Dan

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