The Desmond Elliott Prize 2022 is now open for submissions.

With a reputation as the most prestigious award for debut novelists, the Desmond Elliott Prize encourages publishers from across the UK and Ireland to submit literary fiction debuts for consideration, awarding one winning author £10,000 to shape their developing career.

Ten novels are longlisted for the prize, from which three shortlisted novels are selected by a panel of expert judges. The winning author will be celebrated at an event in summer 2022, receiving the £10,000 prize to support their writing future, alongside a year of support from National Centre for Writing.

In 2020, the thirteenth year of the prize, The Desmond Elliott Prize moved into the care of National Centre for Writing. The Prize is central to a suite of three new awards from NCW celebrating and supporting early-career writers.

The Desmond Elliott Prize 2022 is currently open for submissions, encouraging publishers from across the UK and Ireland to submit literary fiction debuts for consideration. The 2022 prize seeks vividly written and confidently realised first novels whose compelling narratives and arresting characters speak to readers, and to our times.

‘The Desmond Elliott Prize is the one which all at The Book Hive get most excited about.’ – The Book Hive

The Prize is named after the literary agent and publisher, Desmond Elliott, in memory of his passion for discovering and nurturing emerging authors. First awarded in 2008, the Prize has a track record of spotting outstandingly talented novelists at the beginning of their careers, with former winners including Eimear McBride for A Girl is a Half-formed Thing and Claire Fuller for Our Endless Numbered Days, as well as Preti Taneja for We That Are Young.