Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize
The Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize, established in 2022,[1] is an annual literary award presented by British bookseller Waterstones to the best debut fiction published in the previous 12 months. The award is intended to "celebrate[] the very best fresh voices in fiction and share[] the joy and magic of discovering new authors."[1] Fictional books of all genres are considered, "including genre fiction such as crime, sci-fi and fantasy as well as fiction in translation."[2][3]
Award winners receive £5,000[3] and "the backing of all Waterstones shops."[2]
Recipients[edit]
| Year | Author | Title | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Tess Gunty | The Rabbit Hutch | Winner | [4] |
| Sequoia Nagamatsu | How High We Go in the Dark | Shortlist | [5][6][7] | |
| Eloghosa Osunde | Vagabonds! | |||
| Tara M. Stringfellow | Memphis | |||
| Bonnie Garmus | Lessons in Chemistry | |||
| Louise Kennedy | Trespasses | |||
| 2023 | Alice Winn | In Memoriam | Winner | [8] |
| Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah | Chain-Gang All-Stars | Shortlist | [9] | |
| Jacqueline Crooks | Fire Rush | |||
| Michael Magee | Close to Home | |||
| Cecile Pin | Wandering Souls | |||
| Colin Walsh | Kala |
References[edit]
- ^ a b Orhanen, Anna (2022-07-21). "Why Debuts Matter: Bea Carvalho on the Ethos Behind the Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize". Waterstones. Retrieved 2022-07-23.
- ^ a b Bayley, Sian (2022-04-04). "Waterstones launches £5,000 debut fiction prize". The Bookseller. Retrieved 2022-07-23.
- ^ a b "Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize". Locus Online. 2022-04-05. Retrieved 2022-07-23.
- ^ Zodgekar, Yash; Niva, Yadav (2022-08-25). "Tess Gunty's 'fiercely original' The Rabbit Hutch wins inaugural Waterstones debut fiction prize". The Guardian. Retrieved 2022-11-16.
- ^ "Awards: Waterstones Debut Fiction Shortlist". Shelf Awareness. 2022-07-22. Retrieved 2022-07-23.
- ^ Doyle, Martin (2022-07-21). "Louise Kennedy on Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize shortlist; Margaret Atwood at Clifden festival". The Irish Times. Retrieved 2022-07-23.
- ^ Shaffi, Sarah (2022-07-20). "Shortlist announced for Waterstones debut fiction prize". the Guardian. Retrieved 2022-07-23.
- ^ "Alice Winn wins 2023 Waterstones debut fiction prize for In Memoriam". The Guardian. 24 August 2023. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
- ^ "Waterstones debut fiction prize shortlist announced". Books+Publishing. 2023-07-17. Retrieved 2023-07-23.