Aneurysm Cupcake Independent Novel Award (ACINA)

Annual Award for an Independent Novel

This award celebrates bold, original, underexposed voices in independent publishing.
One winner and four runners-up are selected each year.
Regrettably the 2026 award will not take place. The registration form is now closed. DO NOT SEND ANY PAYMENT UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE. If you would like to submit your work for 2027, please make your interest known using the contact form on this website.

Entry Requirements - Each eligible entry must be:

• A novel between 60,000 and 130,000 words in length
• A single work of prose fiction
• Already published
• Written in English, Italian, French, or Hindi
• Available to purchase worldwide as an eBook
• Published by any publisher (or self-published), provided:
  • No advance was paid to the author for this work
  • No more than 200 copies sold by the entry deadline

How to Enter

1. Follow @L_E_Bendon on Twitter or @authorbendon on Instagram.
2. Like, comment, and share the pinned award entry post on at least one of those platforms.
3. Send the entry fee of £0.50 (fifty pence) via PayPal to the following address:
   In the payment message, include:
   • Author name and title of the work
   • The social media account (and platform) used to meet the follow/like/comment/share requirement
4. Complete and submit the Registration Form.
   Include exact duplicates of the info from your PayPal message, plus:
   • Front cover image
   • Blurb text
   • First chapter text

Selection Process

After entry closes, finalists (5 total) are chosen as follows:

1. Judges' selection: Based on impressions from the blurb + first chapter (3 places awarded)
2. Public vote: Based on anonymised blurb text only (top 2 not already chosen by judges)

All Finalists (Runners-Up) Receive

• Official credit as Aneurysm Cupcake Independent Novel Award Runner-Up
• Full written book review posted on Goodreads
• Video review (read to camera) posted by L. E. Bendon on Twitter and Instagram
• A digital finalist badge image file (for use on websites, social media, etc.)
• A copy of L. E. Bendon's latest novel in EPUB format
• Temporary listing on the award winners' page on this website (with link to your chosen purchase page) — remains until next year's finalists are announced

Note: An electronic copy of each finalist book will be purchased for full judging.

The Overall Winner Also Receives

• All of the runners-up prizes above
• Permanent listing on the award winners' page (with your chosen purchase link)
• A special winner's badge image file
• A Tuckerisation in a future L. E. Bendon novel (plus a call to discuss the character)
• An invitation to serve as a judge for the following year's award
• A beta/ARC read from L. E. Bendon of a future work (redeemable at any time)

Announcement

The winner will be revealed in a special video announcement posted by L. E. Bendon on Instagram and Twitter.