2021 Lost Island Writing Contest Winners

This was our second contest. Two authors will have their winning novels published by Lost Island Press.

Amanda Michelle Brown

with a standalone fantasy novel

Amanda Brown won the 2021 Lost Island Writing Contest with her submission of The Memory Jumper, a dark fiction retelling of the classic story Rapunzel.

Amanda is a blogger, author, podcaster, and graphic designer who loves nothing more than a BBC drama and an oat milk latte. Her winning debut novel, The Memory Jumper, is confirmed for release on October 8, 2022.

Julia Rosemary Turk

with a dystopian trilogy

Julia Rosemary Turk won the 2021 Lost Island Writing Contest with her submission of Lone Player, the first book in a dystopian trilogy.

Julia is an author and artist based in Northern California. She loves all things creative, and spends her days downing matcha lattes and writing stories. Her winning debut novel, Lone Player, is currently set for release in 2023.

About Our Contests

We welcome new authors into our community through writing contests exclusively.

Who can participate?

Our contests are open internationally, and there are no age requirements. You do not need an agent to submit your work.

What should I submit?

We accept submissions that are:

  • written in the English language

  • between 50,000-120,000 words long

  • written by one author (no co-authors)

  • standalones, or the first book in a duology/trilogy

  • for a teen and YA audience

  • fully complete (your manuscript does not need to be professionally edited, but it must have a completed storyline)

Only one book entry is allowed per participant. If you have multiple works in progress, choose your best piece. Participants of previous contests are welcome to resubmit the same manuscript again.

Who can participate?

Lost Island Press is an independent publishing house specializing in dark teen and young adult fiction. Every novel we publish is held to the same quality standard. We offer books in three formats (ebook, paperback, and hardcover) to major online retailers internationally. Although getting our books into physical locations is possible, it is not our priority.

We take on the financial risk of each project, allowing our authors to publish at no cost. The publication process is highly collaborative. Net royalties for book sales and affiliated merch sales are split 50/50 between the author and Lost Island Press.

Formatting Rules

The list below contains our only submission formatting requirements. Everything else, such as how you label chapters and divide scenes, is up to you.

  • word document (.doc)

  • standard letter size (8.5 in x 11 in)

  • 12pt font, Times New Roman, 1.5x spacing

  • page break before every new chapter

  • tab stop at the beginning of each paragraph

  • the first page should include: participant name, email, phone number, working book title, word count, and genre(s)

Formatting example

When can I participate?

Contest submissions are currently closed, and we do not have a contest scheduled for 2023. Join our newsletter to be the first to hear about future opportunities to publish with us.

More Frequently Asked Questions

  • Yes. completely free for everyone.

  • As part of our submission review process, we may schedule recorded Zoom interviews with select participants. Attending the video interview is necessary for further consideration.

    We also expect our winners to be comfortable taking videos and photos of themselves for the promotion of their books.

  • Submissions are shared confidentially between Lost Island contest judges. We have no right to edit, publish, or distribute your work unless you win and sign our publication agreement.

  • Definitely. Our team will communicate with you using your legal name, but when it comes to marketing and publication, you’re welcome to choose a pen name to be known by publicly.

  • No, only previous contest winners and team members have the opportunity to publish with Lost Island outside of our contest. We do not accept monetary offers for special publication deals.

  • Our dark young adult fiction requirement will remain constant, but other restrictions such as word count, co-authorship, or series length may change from contest to contest.

  • When submissions close, our team will begin to review your book. Please keep a close eye on your email, as this will be our main form of communication if we require more information from you. Failure to respond to our follow-up emails in a timely manner may result in disqualification.