Bellwether Prize to Accept Submissions September 1

Literary prize supports fiction addressing social justice; winner gets $25,000 and publishing contract

By Lynn Andriani -- Publishers Weekly, 8/17/2009 7:45:00 AM

The Bellwether Prize committee will accept submissions from September 1 through October 2 for the 2010 award. The prize, established by Barbara Kingsolver, supports the writing and publication of serious literary fiction addressing issues of social justice in culture and human relations. It has been awarded in even-numbered years for the past decade. In addition to the $25,000 cash prize, the award guarantees publication of the winning novel by a major U.S. publishing house. The participating publisher, Algonquin, maintains an editorial position on the panel of judges and, after the winner is chosen, will enter with the author into a separate contract for royalty payment and publication rights.

The 2008 Bellwether winner was The Girl Who Fell From the Sky by Heidi W. Durrow, which Algonquin will publish in February 2010. The 2006 winner, Mudbound by Hillary Jordan (also Algonquin) has 100,000 copies in print. Applications are available at www.bellwetherprize.org. The winning manuscript and author will be announced in May 2010.