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Guidelines, How to Submit,
Novel Prize

Entries are free.

The Novel prize is open from 14th February to 31st July 2022.

Guidelines for NOVELS

  • The prize is for a thriller in which no woman is beaten, stalked, sexually exploited, raped or murdered.
  • Thriller genres include crime, mystery, historical, sci-fi, cyber, comedy, psychological, spy, suspense, political, satirical and disaster. We are not at this time looking for horror or fantasy novels.
  • For the purposes of this Prize, ‘murder’ does not include incidents where people in general or specific groups of people are the targets or victims, e.g. war, terrorist attacks, hostage situations, sabotage.*
  • The competition is open to authors of any nationality who are over the age of 18 on the closing date.
  • Submissions may be traditionally or self-published, or first published in English (print or e-book) within 18 months of the closing date (Jan 2019) or not yet published anywhere. Translations are welcome.
  • Graphic novels following the same criteria are very welcome.
  • Entries may be submitted by authors, agents or publishers.
  • If you entered an unpublished novel previously, you are welcome to enter it again if the novel is now published/self-published, or if you have been rewriting or polishing and it is still unpublished.
  • *Where there is any ambiguity, the deciding factor will be whether a female character was targeted or died because she was a woman.

How to submit

  • The first 5000 words plus a one-page synopsis of each entry should be submitted as AS ONE DOCUMENT via the SUBMISSIONS page in pdf, .doc or .docx file format.
  • First 5000 words: Double spaced, 12pt.
  • One-page synopsis: Single spaced, 12pt.
  • The title of the novel should be at the top of the document, but no identifying name of author or submitter should appear on the document itself. Entries will be read blind
  • If entering a graphic novel, submit the first 20 pages plus a one-page synopsis as a PDF.
  • If you are unable to enter online, get in touch via the Contact page and we will be happy to accept your postal entry, or arrange payment by invoice if required. 
  • Completed novels will be requested by the end of August and must be at least 50,000 words. Graphic novels, no length restriction. As we may request the additional material at any time, novels should ideally be completed before entering.
  • Complete novels called for can be submitted as pdf documents or as published books. This time we will require the name of the author and whether (and when) the novel was published/self-published or is not yet published.
  • By submitting work for the Prize you are agreeing that ALL criteria have been met and you have accepted these terms and conditions.
  • You are also agreeing that we may contact you and add your name to our database to keep you informed about the Prize. Your details will never be shared or sold to third parties.
  • Any entry failing to meet the criteria will be disqualified.

Entries cost £20. Multiple entries are welcomed.

The prize is £1000

Entries are strongly welcomed from BAME and working-class writers and those from other under-represented groups.

Click here to enter

 Short Story and Flash Fiction prizes

Enter Staunch Book Prize

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Copyright will remain with the author, but we reserve the right to publish up to the first 5000 words of each shortlisted novel on the Staunch Book Prize website.

The shortlist will be announced on 1st November 2022. The winner will be announced on 25th November 2022, the International Day For The Elimination of Violence Against Women. 


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