Deadline: September 30, 2022
About the competition
A prize of $12,500 is given annually for a novel published during the calendar year that asks readers “to engage with or reflect on the complexities of the American South.” The winner will also receive an all-expenses-paid trip to Oxford, Mississippi, for the awards ceremony in March 2023. Submit traditionally published titles or advanced reader copies for books to be published in October, November, or December 2022, by September 30. There is no entry fee.
Competition guidelines
- Asks readers to engage with or reflect on the complexities of the American South.
- Has a narrative that is ultimately uplifting or suggests hope or optimism.
- Stands out for originality, quality of prose and structure, sense of period, place and people.
- Comes from the perspective of an author who is an original or under-recognized voice in conversations about the South.
- Submit your entry here.
Books must be published during the submission year and cannot be self-published. Advanced reader copies or proofs for books that will be published in October, November or December of 2022 are eligible.
You can get a sense of the quality and content of winning books by reading the previous winners listed on the website.
