India’s Final Wave of Young Authors Recognised in Step-Up Authors League – SBWF 2025

BriBooks has announced the winners of the Step-Up Authors League, the third and final sub-league of the Summer Book Writing Festival (SBWF) 2025). This league marked the last window for students to publish their books before entering the State and National stages of the competition.

Over the past weeks, hundreds of students across India published their books just in time to qualify for the festival’s State and National rounds. Many joined late. Others had been writing for months but hadn’t yet crossed the finish line. This was their moment and they seized it.

Recognising Determined Contributors

The Step-Up League was designed to ensure that students who had not participated in earlier leagues (Legacy and Emerging) still had the opportunity to publish and qualify for the festival’s remaining stages. Many participants used this league to complete unfinished drafts, refine their stories, and formally publish their work – often in a matter of days.

“The Step-Up League is proof that determination matters as much as timing,” said Ami Dror, Founder and President of BriBooks. “These students took the final opportunity available – and made it count.”

Winners Across Two Celebrated Categories

Students were recognised under two national titles

• Jury Choice, for literary voice, originality, and depth

• Best-Seller, for books that connected widely with readers
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Jury Choice Winners

• Echoes of the Forbidden – Aditya Shah

• Murder at Mitra Lane – Rudraksha Mukherjee

• The Making of a Cricket Fan – Advik Jain

• Silent Twist in the Mist – Shaivi Manjusha Varati

• Disconnected – Manpreet Grewal

• Echoes Beyond Time – S Monika

• The Last Bell at Raven High – Vaishnavi Das

• The Last Voice – Yash Raj Verma

• Finding Muffin – Drishyaa Gupta

• The Orchard Summer – Shivika Srivastava

Best-Seller Winners

• Unbroken Spirit of a Soldier – Vaarahi Bajaj

• What the Sea Couldnt Bury – Samragyi Rana

• The Five Friends – Yashvi Khurana

• The Compass of Whiskerwind – Ishika Syam

• I Woke Up with a Superpower – Viraaj Handoo

• Shadows of Truth – Rajshree Pandey

• Be Aware from Coronavirus – Aaditya Sinha

• Whispering Tales – Sayesha Sreyashi Saroj

• The Hidden Crown – Gargi Goel

• Nemesis – Akshaj Samaria

Path Forward: State and National Leagues Begin

With the conclusion of the Step-Up League, all qualifying sub-leagues of SBWF 2025 are now complete. Students selected from the Legacy, Emerging, and Step-Up Leagues will now move forward to the State League, followed by the National Authors League.

The upcoming phases will evaluate student-authored books on a wider scale – combining jury assessments with metrics such as readership, reviews, and engagement.

By the end of this year’s festival, participation is expected to cross 1 million students, making SBWF 2025 one of the largest student writing initiatives globally.

About BriBooks
BriBooks is the world’s largest publishing platform for school students, providing children with tools to write, publish, and share their stories with the world. Thousands of students across India have become published authors through the platform, gaining recognition both locally and nationally.