Welcome to The Big Writer’s Prize
HISTORY OF THE BIG WRITER’S PRIZE
The Big Writers Prize is a literary award dedicated to discovering and launching new novelists at the very start of their careers.
The Prize was created around a simple, important question:
What makes a story good?
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A Prize That Starts With One Chapter
From its first year, the Big Writers Prize has accepted submissions consisting of one standalone chapter from an unpublished novel or novel-in-progress. Judges are asked to read with a single question in mind:
Is it intriguing?
The chapter may come from either a prologue or a first chapter—but it must demonstrate voice, momentum, and ambition.
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Launching Novelists, Not Just Books
Unlike many literary awards, the Big Writers Prize was designed to identify novelists before they are established, often years before their debut books appear in print.
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Judging Philosophy
The Big Writers Prize has never sought “polish” above all else. Judges are instructed to prioritize:
• Distinctive voice
• Narrative confidence
• Emotional or intellectual risk
• A sense that something larger is unfolding beyond the page
A winning chapter doesn’t need to explain everything—it needs to promise something big.
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Why a Single Chapter?
The founders believed that a novelist reveals themselves fastest in concentrated form. A single chapter captures:
• How a writer enters a story
• How they handle tension
• How they invite a reader to stay
As one early judge wrote, “You can teach structure. You can’t teach them to make it interesting.”
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The Prize Today
Today, the Big Writers Prize continues to spotlight emerging writers from around the world, maintaining its original focus while adapting to new forms and voices in contemporary fiction.
The Prize remains committed to one core belief:
Every great novel starts at a beginning.
Though in recent years, the judging process includes a shortlist where the selected entries must prove their writing further with the next two chapters.
As one early judge wrote,
“You can teach structure. But you can’t teach them to make it interesting.”
The Big Writer’s Prize was created around a simple, important question: