Call for Submissions to the 2026 HarperCollinsPublishersLtd/UBC Prize for Best New Fiction, co-sponsored by CookeMcDermid Literary Management

The Prize is 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. In its 13 years running, the Prize has celebrated an impressive list of winners, including the national bestselling novel and recipient of the 2021 Amazon.ca First Novel Award, FIVE LITTLE INDIANS by Michelle Good; winner of the 2023 Amazon First Novel Award, THE ISLAND OF FORGETTING by Jasmine Sealy; 2024 Barnes and Nobel Discover Prize nominee, PEARLY EVERLASTING by Tammy Armstrong; and the forthcoming novel THE FIRST SEED by Emily Cann.

We are pleased to again be administering the biannual Prize in 2026, and to announce the call for this year’s submissions. Submissions open at 12:01AM PDT on Friday, May 1, 2026 and will close at 11:59PM PDT on Sunday, May 31, 2026. 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: annabel.lyon@ubc.ca.

The HarperCollinsPublishersLtd/UBC Prize for Best New Fiction awards a contract of representation by CookeMcDermid Literary Management and a contract to publish the work from HarperCollinsPublishersLtd.

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-based approach to all of our endeavours. CookeMcDermid is fully Canadian-owned and operated, representing authors across all genres in Canada, the United States, and internationally. Our books have received the most prestigious prizes around the world, become national and international bestsellers, been adapted into major motion pictures, and been translated into over 60 languages around the world. We proudly represent over 400 authors of quality fiction and non-fiction.

HarperCollinsPublishersLtd imprints include HarperCollins, Harper Avenue, Harper Perennial, 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, Amanda Peters, Lawrence Hill, Rachel Cusk, Zoe Whittall, Lily King, Kate Quinn, 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, and Janie Chang.

Administration of this Prize requires that UBC, HarperCollinsPublishersLtd and CookeMcDermid meet certain federal and provincial regulations. Please carefully read the rules for submission at http://creativewriting.ubc.ca/current-students/hc-ubc-prize/. The language is necessarily legal in nature but please do not let this discourage you from participating. 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 31, 2026, and the winner will be notified by September 30, 2026.

We would like to thank you for submitting to this year’s Prize. We are looking forward to reading your work! For us, the challenge of selecting a winner is an enjoyable and rewarding task that we are grateful has introduced us to some of the finest emerging literary voices in Canada.

Sincerely,

CookeMcDermid Literary Management