DUBAI: The UAE’s Emirates Airline Festival of Literature has announced the winner of its unpublished novelists’ competition – author Benjamin Crossland for his book “MindSet” that is a science fiction novel about changing relationships. For the latest updates, follow us on Instagram @arabnews.lifestyle The runners up were Avril Erskine with “McGovern Town,” a novel about a young boy growing up in the north west of Ireland, and Saudi-based Susan Bryceland with “Welcome to Raptorville,” a mystery story for middle-grade students. All entries were judged by international literary agent Luigi Bonomi, founder of Luigi Bonomi Associates. The winner has the chance to discuss their manuscript with Bonomi, who has launched the careers of many bestselling authors. A number of past winners have gone on to be represented, earned multi-book deals and became published authors. “It’s always fascinating to see the breadth of entries submitted each year, and this year was no exception, with a particularly high standard,” said Bonomi in a released statement. “Although winning the competition is no guarantee of getting published, the success rate in the past has been extraordinary and shows how high the standard of writing in this region is.” Recognized as one of the most successful writing competitions in the region, the unpublished novelists’ competition has a proven track record in finding new writing talent, producing nine published authors in the last seven years.