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Center for Fiction Annual Awards Benefit 2023, Cipriani, New York, New York, December 5, 2023.

First Novel Prize

The Center for Fiction First Novel Prize, first awarded in 2006, was created to honor the best debut fiction of the year. The winner receives a $15,000 prize and each shortlisted author receives $1,000.

The First Novel Prize is given to a debut novel published in the United States between January 1st and December 31st of the competing year. The 2024 submission window is open from January 22nd through March 15th. The longlist is announced in July, followed by the shortlist in September. In December, the shortlisted authors are celebrated at our First Novel Fête and the winner is announced at our Annual Awards Benefit. We greatly value this opportunity to support and encourage the art of fiction in the United States.

Questions? Contact us.

The Center for Fiction

2023 Winner: Tyriek White

Tyriek White received The Center for Fiction 2023 First Novel Prize for We Are a Haunting (Astra House). Author Ayana Mathis, one of the four First Novel Prize judges in 2023, presented the award to White on December 5, 2023 at our Annual Awards Benefit.

2022 Winner: Noor Naga

Noor Naga received The Center for Fiction 2022 First Novel Prize for The Five Wounds (Graywolf Press). Author Rebecca Makkai, one of the five First Novel Prize judges in 2022, presented the award to Naga on December 6, 2022 at our Annual Awards Benefit hosted by author Jennifer Egan.

2021 Winner: Kirstin Valdez Quade

Kirstin Valdez Quade received The Center for Fiction 2021 First Novel Prize for The Five Wounds (W. W. Norton & Company). Our 2020 winner, Raven Leilani, presented the award to Quade on December 7, 2021 at our Annual Awards Benefit and 200th Anniversary Celebration hosted by Fran Lebowitz.

2020 Winner: Raven Leilani

Raven Leilani received The Center for Fiction 2020 First Novel Prize for Luster (Farrar, Straus and Giroux / Macmillan). Our 2019 winner, De’Shawn Charles Winslow, presented the award to Leilani on December 3, 2020 at our virtual Annual Awards Benefit hosted by Yvonne Orji.

2019 Winner: De'Shawn Charles Winslow

De’Shawn Charles Winslow received The Center for Fiction 2019 First Novel Prize for In West Mills (Bloomsbury). Monique Truong presented the award to Winslow on December 10, 2019 at our Annual Awards Benefit hosted by Eisa Davis.

2024 First Novel Prize Schedule
  • Titles must have a publication date between January 1, 2024 and December 31, 2024
  • The submission window opens on January 22, 2024
  • The submission window closes on March 15, 2024
  • The longlist is announced in July 2024
  • The shortlist is announced in September 2024
  • The winner is announced at our Benefit in December 2024

2024 Eligibility Requirements

Click here to review the 2024 eligibility requirements, learn about the selection process, and more.


Book Cover Medallions

The Center for Fiction First Novel Prize medallions are available for the covers of winning, shortlisted, and longlisted titles. Questions? Please contact Celeste Kaufman at [email protected] for more information.