This contest is now open to submissions!
James River Writers and Richmond magazine are looking for new, unpublished book-length fiction from talented Virginia authors. One first-prize winner will receive $500 and a ticket to the annual James River Writers Conference (worth over $300). The winner will be announced in a fall issue of Richmond magazine, in September at the conference, and on James River Writers’ social media.
Rules
Richmond magazine and JRW employees, founders, board members, and their immediate family members cannot enter. This includes freelance employees of Richmond magazine. If you have won the contest in the past, you may not re-enter the same book.
To submit an entry, the author must be a resident of Virginia or a current student at a Virginia college or university.
Your manuscript should be a work of fiction or a novel in verse.
Work may not have been published prior to contest submission. This includes self-publishing, small press publishing, print on demand, and publishing the work on a blog or website. (If you have self-published a book, you may want to consider the Best Self-published Novel Contest.)
Each ten-page submission must be uploaded via the official form, below.
Contest submissions may not be AI-generated, in whole or in part. Work should be written by and copyrightable by you. JRW follows The Authors Guild’s recommendations for AI Best Practices for Writers. Using AI as a tool for spelling, grammar checking, or copyediting is acceptable. If you have questions about AI use in your submission, please reach out to us using our contact form.
Each page of the manuscript must have the title in the upper left corner, page numbers in the upper right, and be double-spaced with one-inch margins in Times New Roman or Arial font, size 12. Please do not put the author’s name on the manuscript. Manuscripts will be disqualified if submitted with names or other identifying information on any of the pages.
Full manuscripts will be requested in the spring if the submission passes the first round of judging. If requested, full manuscripts should be no more than 100,000 words.
Submission Process – Submissions open January 8, and close February 28, 2026.
Submissions and the $25 entry fee will be accepted by online entry only. Please send the first ten pages in a .doc, .docx, or .pdf attachment using the form below. Each entry will be judged on writing competency, character development, setting, dialogue, voice, and plot.
After February 28, manuscripts will go through a first round judging process, and, in spring of 2026, up to six novels will be solicited for the second round. From the second round, three novels will be chosen to go on to the final judge, who will select the first, second, and third place winner. Contestants will be notified of the results by the end of June 2026.
This programming is supported [in part] by the Virginia Commission for the Arts, which receives support from the Virginia General Assembly.
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ROBERT GWALTNEY IS THE 2026 BEST UNPUBLISHED NOVEL CONTEST JUDGE
Robert Gwaltney was named 2023 Georgia Author of the Year for First Novel and was recipient of the 2022 Pat Conroy Writers Residency. Robert’s work has appeared in such publications as Southbound Magazine, Southern Literary Review, The Blue Mountain Review, and The Dead Mule School of Southern Literature. His forthcoming novel, Sing Down The Moon, will be published by Mercer University Press in the Spring of 2026. Visit Robert at robertlgwaltney.com.
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FAQ
Can I enter more than one book or a book with more than one volume?
You may enter multiple manuscripts or volumes with an entry fee for each one.
Can I enter multiple versions of the same manuscript to see which is better?
No.
Do you accept simultaneous submissions?
You may enter your novel in other contests and/or look for an agent/publishing house simultaneously while being considered for this contest. However, if you are accepted for publication, please notify us at once so that your entry may be withdrawn.
What if my 10th page ends in the middle of a sentence?
End your page wherever the last full sentence ends. If you turn in more than ten pages, the first round of judges will not read past ten pages.
Can I enter a novel in verse?
Yes
Can I enter a novella?
We’re really looking for novels, but we admit that some novels (like novels in verse or middle grade novels) can be on the short side. If you submit a short work, it should clearly fall in a category of novel that traditionally needs a lower word count and not be a novella.
If I entered in a previous year but didn’t win, can I resubmit the same novel?
Only resubmit the same novel if you have done substantial edits since last time.
Do I have to have a completed novel to enter, or are the first ten pages enough?
If your manuscript makes it past the first round, we’ll ask for your complete manuscript, so it should be ready to go by March 1, 2026, to be safe.
If you have additional questions, please contact us using the form on our contact page.
PAST WINNERS OF THE BEST UNPUBLISHED NOVEL CONTEST
Best Unpublished Novel 2023
Winner: Burn, Alexis Stratton – See the excerpt published in Richmond magazine HERE.
2nd: I Was an Alien Fashion Model, Fatima Mahdi
3rd: The Night Doctor of Richmond, Tony Gentry
4th: I Imagined There Were Stars, Chris Parthemos
Best Unpublished Novel 2020
Winner: The Sweet Scent of Death, Lesley St. James – See the excerpt published in Richmond magazine HERE.
2nd: Mini-Zon, Frank Scott
3rd: Kaleidoscope Lane, Jane Boch
Best Unpublished Novel 2017
Winner: Four Dead Horses, K.T. Sparks – See the excerpt published in Richmond magazine HERE.
2nd: A Badge and a Boomerang, Bill Blume
3rd: Mystery of the Empty Tomb, James A. Bacon, Jr.
Best Unpublished Novel 2015
Winner: The Key to the Quarter Pole, Robin Williams – See the excerpt published in Richmond magazine HERE.
2nd: Unguided, Gail Giewont
3rd: Nettie’s Books, Vivian Lawry
Best Unpublished Novel 2013
Winner: What Will Burn, Laura Long
2nd: The Viscount’s Daughter, Phyllis Hall Haislip
3rd: The Memory Addict, Derek Kannemeyer
Best Unpublished Novel 2010 – 2011
Winner: Dogs and Heroes, Mary Lou Hall
2nd: Little Song, Margaret Rodenberg
3rd: The Hesitancy of the First Moon, Lavinia Moxey
Best Unpublished Novel 2009
Winner: Complications, Erika Raskin
2nd: Short For Love, Kristina Gorcheva-Newb
3rd: The Town Limits, Donna Dun
Best Unpublished Novel 2008
Winner: I Love You I Get Good Grades, Catherine Baab
2nd: A Gambling Party, William Gerald Hamby
3rd: Running From Trouble, Kit Wilkinson
Best Unpublished Novel 2006-2007
Winner: Mariah’s Daddy’s House, Amy Munn