Call for Submissions to the 2024 HarperCollinsPublishersLtd/UBC Prize for Best New Fiction, co-sponsored by CookeMcDermid Literary Management
Open to current students and alumni of the UBC Creative Writing Program
In 2013 HarperCollinsPublishersLtd, The University of British Columbia Creative Writing Program and CookeMcDermid Literary Management (then The Cooke Agency) launched a prize for new fiction written by students and alumni of the university’s prestigious creative writing course. The first years of the prize have culminated in an impressive list of winners, including the novels THE GHOST KEEPER by Natalie Morrill, THE DUTCH WIFE by Ellen Keith, FIVE LITTLE INDIANS by Michelle Good, THE ISLAND OF FORGETTING by Jasmine Sealy, and the forthcoming PEARLY EVERLASTING by Tammy Armstrong.
We are pleased to be administering the eighth edition of the now biannual Prize and to announce this year’s call for submissions. Submissions open at 12:01AM PDT on Wednesday, May 1, 2024 and will close at 11:59PM PDT on Friday, May 31, 2024. Rules and Regulations including direction on how to submit a manuscript are posted at http://creativewriting.ubc.ca/current-students/hc-ubc-prize/. Submissions should be sent to bestnewfictionprize@cookemcdermid.com in the format outlined in the Rules and Regulations.
Questions may be directed to Annabel Lyon at annabel.lyon@ubc.ca.
The HarperCollinsPublishersLtd/UBC Prize for Best New Fiction awards a contract for representation by CookeMcDermid Literary Management and a contract from HarperCollinsPublishersLtd for publication of the winning novel or short story collection.
CookeMcDermid was founded in 2017 when two preeminent literary agencies, The Cooke Agency and The McDermid Agency, amalgamated. Combining nearly 50 years of experience, we are a full service, client-focused agency that brings a strong team approach to all of our endeavours. CookeMcDermid is fully Canadian-owned and operated, representing authors in many genres in Canada, the United States, and internationally. Our books have been adapted into major motion pictures and translated into over 60 languages, working in conjunction with co-agents around the world. We proudly represent over 400 national and international award-winning authors of quality fiction and non-fiction.
HarperCollinsPublishersLtd imprints include HarperCollinsPublishers, Harper Avenue, HarperPerennial, and Collins. These imprints publish the finest writers from Canada and around the world, including such fiction authors as Emily St. John Mandel, Emma Donoghue, Tracey Lindberg, Lawrence Hill, Rachel Cusk, Zoe Whittall, Cathy Marie Buchanan, Tom King, Heather O’Neill, Colin McCann, and a great many others. HarperCollins is committed to publishing new writers and to building authors’ careers. HarperCollinsPublishersLtd has published first books by UBC MFA graduates Michael Christie and Michelle Good as well as debut short story writers and novelists Ayelet Tsabari, Mallory Tater, Janie Chang and Amanda Peters.
Administration of this competition requires that UBC, HarperCollinsPublishersLtd and CookeMcDermid meet certain federal and provincial regulations. Please have a look at the rules for submission at http://creativewriting.ubc.ca/current-students/hc-ubc-prize/. The language is necessarily legal in nature. Please do not let this in any way discourage your participation. The Rules and Regulations govern administration of the prize only and are separate from the publishing and agency contracts which are industry standard and offer a great opportunity to launch a writing career with a major literary agency and one of Canada’s leading publishing companies.
The shortlist for this year’s prize will be notified by August 30, 2024, and the winner will be notified by September 30, 2024. We would like to thank you for participating in this year’s competition and are looking forward to reading your work. For us, the challenge of selecting a winner is an enjoyable and rewarding task.
Sincerely,
CookeMcDermid Literary Management