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.
Entries close 28th Feb 2026.

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.