The Lucy Cavendish College Fiction Prize 2023 is now open for entries

Now going into its thirteenth year, the Lucy Cavendish Fiction Prize has developed a reputation for attracting first-class writing talent. Judges are seeking entries that combine literary merit with 'unputdownability’, and it has been a catalyst for numerous literary careers.

The winner of the 2023 prize will receive guidance and support from literary agent and sponsor Peters Fraser Dunlop as well as a cash prize of £1,500.

The 2023 judging panel welcomes back Tim Bates, Head of the Books Department and literary agent at Peters Fraser Dunlop; Dr Isobel Maddison, Fellow Emerita of Lucy Cavendish College where she was Lecturer and Director of Studies in English; Jackie Ashley, political journalist, broadcaster and Honorary Fellow of the College; Gillian Stern, editor and ghost-writer; Lindsey Traub, Fellow Emerita, and Phoebe Morgan, Harper Collins Editorial Director and author of four novels published by HQ. Joining the panel this year are Reeta Chakrabarti, BBC News presenter and correspondent, and Sheena Patel, writer and assistant director for the film and TV industry. We will be announcing a very special Chair next week. 

Nicola Garrard, author of ‘29 Locks’ (shortlisted 2019) says, “Being shortlisted in the Lucy Cavendish Fiction Prize is life-changing. The highly respected publishing industry judges confer a stamp of quality that lifts writing into view so that agents offer representation and a novel cuts through the pile of agented manuscripts on publishers' desks. It gave me all of that, but it also gave me a family of fellow writers - past and present longlisters, shortlisters and winners - who provide support through frustrating times and celebrate each other's successes.”

To enter the 2023 Lucy Cavendish Fiction Prize click here.

The 2022 winner of the Fiction Prize was Hannah Stapleton with her novel Blue Tears.

Tim Bates, Head of the Books Department & Literary Agent at Peters Fraser and Dunlop, commented, "Among a very high-quality shortlist, one entry stood out for its originality and confidence. Hannah Stapleton’s BLUE TEARS is a stylish, fresh and, at times, disconcerting debut novel. Hannah has created a fascinating view of the world, and her novel is both provocative and gripping. She is a worthy winner."

The Fiction Prize and its authors

Since its foundation in 2010, the Prize has been a starting point in numerous entrants’ success stories giving them the platform to launch successful and ongoing careers as novelists, including: 

• Catherine Chanter (2013 winner) The Well was translated into twelve languages. Published in UK by Canongate Books. The novel is now being adapted as a film for direct MGM and Hello Sunshine.
• Gail Honeyman (2014 shortlist) Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine which sold one million copies in all formats in America, and over 900,000 copies sold in paperback alone in the UK. Published by HarperCollins.
• Emily Midorikawa (2015 winner) and Emma Claire Sweeney published A Secret Sisterhood to wide acclaim. Publisher: Mariner Books.
• Frances Maynard (2016 shortlist) award-winning novel The Seven Imperfect Rules of Elvira Carr was published by Sourcebooks.
• Sara Collins The Confessions of Frannie Langton, (2016 shortlist) winner of the 2019 Costa First Novel Award, was published by HarperCollins and translated into more than fourteen languages, optioned for television, filming now.
• Laura Marshall (2016 shortlist) award-winning Friend Request was published by Sphere.
• Claire Askew (2016 winner) All the Hidden Truths (2016 winner) was published by Hodder & Stoughton.
• Kelleigh Greenberg-Jephcott Swan Song (2016 shortlist), longlisted for the Women's Prize, was published by HarperCollins is currently being adapted for TV.
• Lesley Sanderson The Orchid Girls (2017 shortlist) published by Bookouture.
• Victoria McKenzie's Brantwood (shortlisted 2017) is to be published as part of a two-book deal with Bloomsbury.
• Nicola Garrard's 29 Locks (shortlisted 2019) was published by Hope Road in 2021.
• Sarah Brooks' novel (winner 2019) The Cautious Traveller's Guide to the Wastelands was signed by W&N and will be published in summer 2024 UK. Rights have sold in 10 territories worldwide.
• Emma Hughes No Such Thing as Perfect (shortlisted 2019) was published by Century in 2021, and her second novel It’s Complicated will be coming out in 2023.
• Susan Stokes Chapman’s Pandora (shortlisted 2020) was published by Harvill Secker in 2022, becoming a #1 Sunday Times Bestseller immediately upon publication. Rights have sold in 15 territories worldwide.
• Bibi Berki's The Watch (2020 shortlist) was published in September 2021 by Salt Publishing.
• Alison Stockham's The Cuckoo Sister was published by Boldwood Books in July 2022.
• Aoife Fitzpatrick’s The Red Bird Sings (2020 winner, entered as An Arrangement in Grey and Black) will be published by Virgo as part of a two-book deal.

Read more about the successful authors here.

About Lucy Cavendish College

Lucy Cavendish College’s mission is to unlock the potential of students from non-traditional and underrepresented backgrounds who are driven by a desire to make a difference and are committed to having a positive and lasting impact on society.

Contact information

https://www.lucy.cam.ac.uk/fictionprize Lucy Cavendish College, University of Cambridge, T: 01223 768426, E: comms@lucy.cam.ac.uk

To enter the 2023 Lucy Cavendish Fiction prize click here.

To find out more about the Lucy Cavendish Fiction Prize click here.