Clair’s debut novel, Mrs Peacock’s Pavlova, was chosen for its delicate treatment of theme and excellent portrayal of character.
This year’s prize received the highest number of entries yet, totalling over 1000.
With the Prize celebrating its 15th anniversary, and the College marking 60 years of innovation and inclusion in 2025, this significant increase in entries is a testament to an exciting new chapter.
The selected entries represented a wide array of genres, highlighting the remarkable literary talent of women and non-binary writers from across the UK and Ireland. Following a lively debate, the judging panel awarded the top prize to Clair Humphries.
Clair Humphries is a writer and editor fascinated with local and social history. She is at her happiest rifling through archives, blowing cobwebs off dust-covered documents and imagining the stories behind photographs of people she has never met. Her first proper job - in the Official Publications section of the British Library - allowed her to indulge in all of the above, although she lived in fear of the rumoured ghosts in its basement. Since then, she has written family history trails for Ordnance Survey and audio guide scripts for ATS Heritage. Her short stories have been published in women’s magazines; she was also longlisted for the Comedy Women in Print award and was a finalist in the Jane Austen Short Story award. Clair loves a cup of tea and a slice of Victoria sponge but is not a fan of pavlovas.
On the winning novel, head judge, Kiran Millwood Hargrave, says, “Our winning entry was chosen for its delicate treatment of theme and excellent portrayal of character. The sustained voices of the dual POV is an impressive feat, tenderly and authentically crafted, and we all agreed we wanted to read on. We can see this attracting a wide range of readers and lingering long in their minds. In a strong and varied shortlist, it stood out as a firm and agreed-upon favourite.”
As the winner, Clair receives a £1,500 cash prize and invaluable support and guidance from our sponsor, prestigious talent agency WME.
Congratulations to Clair, and to all those selected for this year’s longlist and shortlist.
To find out more about the Lucy Cavendish Fiction Prize click here.