Helen Fielding Launches Bridget Jones Prize for Comedy Writers
The award aims to discover funny diary writers from the north of England, addressing what the author calls 'uneven' opportunities across the UK.
Author Helen Fielding has established the Bridget Jones Prize, an award designed to find the next generation of humorous diary writers from the north of England. Fielding, the creator of the iconic Bridget Jones character, stated that opportunities for writers in the UK are "very uneven," with more available in the south than in the north where she grew up.
The prize, supported by the charity New Writing North, will be awarded to the funniest 1,000-word piece of first-person writing. Submissions are open to unpublished writers without an agent who are based in the north of England.
Fielding, who was born in West Yorkshire, noted that the "comedy heart" of Bridget's story originated from observing the everyday humor of people around her in Yorkshire, particularly their ability to laugh at their own mistakes and deflate pretentiousness. She cited inspirations such as Victoria Wood, Alan Bennett, and Morecambe and Wise.
"There are lots of famous northern comics," Fielding said, "But this prize is for the comic voices of people who aren't famous: just living their lives being quietly hilarious."
The Bridget Jones Prize is set to run for an initial three years, from 2027 to 2029. The winner will receive a £2,000 prize and a support package from Fielding's literary agents and New Writing North. The winner will be announced at the Northern Writers' Awards ceremony in Newcastle in the summer following the submission period.
Submissions for the prize will open on November 23, 2026, and close on February 1, 2027. This marks the first time the Northern Writers' Awards will feature an award exclusively for comedy writing. Will Mackie of New Writing North commented that Fielding is perfectly suited to identify an original comedic voice, having created one of the nation's most beloved comic characters.
Fielding's original newspaper columns, first published by The Independent in 1995, became the best-selling novel Bridget Jones's Diary in 1996. The series has since spawned several sequels and popular film adaptations starring Renée Zellweger as the titular character.