Novels

Novel contests judge a manuscript long enough to show whether a voice holds. They reward sustained plot, developed characters and the kind of pacing that only works across chapters. Entries here range from debut crime fiction to established literary prizes.

If you write at book length, this is where the contests for you sit.

How can I find legitimate novel writing contests?

Start with contests that name a publisher, a literary organisation or an established prize behind them, as the Miles Franklin Award and the PEN/Faulkner Award do. A contest that publishes its judging process and its past winners is easier to trust than one that does not. Check that the entry requirements match the kind of novel you have written.

Is it worth entering novel competitions?

For a debut novelist, a contest such as the CWA Debut Dagger or the First Crime Novel Award can put a manuscript in front of judges who read crime fiction for a living. The value is in the reading, not in the trophy. A novel is long enough that a judge who finishes it has genuinely engaged with your voice.

Are there free novel writing contests?

Some prizes, including the Miles Franklin Award and the PEN/Faulkner Award, are awarded rather than entered by paying a fee. Others, such as the Young Lions Fiction Award, are tied to a submission process with its own rules. Read what each one asks for before you send a manuscript.

What do novel contests look for that short story contests do not?

A short story contest can reward a single sharp moment; a novel contest has to see whether the writing sustains across a long arc. The Daisy Utemorrah Award and the Goldfinch Novel Award both judge a full manuscript, not an excerpt. That means pacing and character development matter as much as the opening pages.

Novel contests ask for a sustained narrative, and the listings here reflect that: the Miles Franklin Award and the PEN/Faulkner Award recognise full-length fiction, while the CWA Debut Dagger and the First Crime Novel Award narrow the field to a first novel in a specific genre. The Daisy Utemorrah Award and the Young Lions Fiction Award serve younger writers working at novel length, and the Goldfinch Novel Award and the Atwood Gibson Fiction Prize sit alongside them. What separates these from the Short Stories and Poetry tags is scale: a short story contest judges a single compressed arc, a poetry contest judges line and image, and a novel contest judges whether a voice can hold across chapters. That is why the same manuscript rarely moves between the three.