Fielding announces Bridget Jones Prize for Northern Comedy Writing

By the Editorial Team · Wednesday, October 21, 2026

Helen Fielding has launched the Bridget Jones Prize for Northern Comedy Writing in partnership with New Writing North to support emerging comic writers from northern England. The prize offers £2,000 and mentoring to promote regional literary talent and address the imbalance in writing opportunities across the UK.

Helen Fielding, author of the Bridget Jones series, has launched a new prize aimed at supporting comic writers from northern England, highlighting regional disparities in writing opportunities across the UK. The Bridget Jones Prize for Northern Comedy Writing, established in partnership with the Newcastle-based charity New Writing North, seeks to provide a platform for undiscovered northern voices.

Fielding, who was born in Yorkshire, made the announcement during a Q&A event held on Monday, 19 October, at the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London. The event was part of celebrations marking the 40th anniversary of The Independent, the newspaper where the Bridget Jones character first appeared as a column in 1995.

Speaking at the event, Fielding noted the uneven distribution of writing opportunities between the South and the North of England. “It’s a bit uneven, the spread of opportunity for writing in this country. In fact, it’s very uneven,” she said. Fielding expressed hope that the prize would encourage submissions from writers who find humor in everyday life through first-person prose.

The prize will award £2,000 and offer mentoring support from both New Writing North and the literary agency Aitken Alexander Associates, which represents Fielding. Entrants are invited to submit the funniest standalone piece of 1,000 words written in the first person, suitable for newspaper publication.

Fielding’s creation of Bridget Jones began spontaneously when she was a journalist at The Independent. The character first appeared anonymously as a diary-style column capturing the life and trials of a thirtysomething single woman. Initially reluctant to write about her own experiences, Fielding invented the persona for the column, which ran for three years before returning briefly in 2005 and 2006.

Over the years, Bridget Jones has become a cultural phenomenon, spawning a series of bestselling novels and Hollywood films. Fielding recounted how the project started as a 1,000-word piece that unexpectedly resonated with readers, leading to opportunities that felt “very lucky.”

The prize aims to extend similar opportunities to northern writers who might otherwise find it difficult to break into the literary or media industry. By focusing on humor and everyday narratives, the initiative seeks to nurture diverse comedic talent from outside London and the South East.

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