2023 Hawthorne Prize

The Hawthorne Prize is an elite writing award founded by AmericanWritingAwards.com in honor of renowned American novelist Nathaniel Hawthorne. A team of judges chooses one winner from among the year's best works of fiction--judges reserve the right to award more than one winner if they believe multiple works merit recognition.  A SHORTLIST of finalists is announced, followed by a Hawthorne Prize FINALIST announcement, then the WINNER declaration a week later.  The WINNER is hailed 'first among equals.'   

Authors of age between 18-120 can apply.  Any book of FICTION published in the 4 years prior to the competition year and any book of fiction being published in the year following the competition year. Unpublished works of fiction are also accepted. 

Authors must submit a work of FICTION--novel, novella, or short story collection--for consideration. The book must have a publication date within 4 years of the competition year and be published by an academic, commercial, or small press. Self-published books and unpublished manuscripts are also accepted. Electronic submission is the only accepted form of submission. Entries are judged based on multiple writing criteria, which include an author's story-telling ability, transitions, hooks, pacing, character development, dialogue, grammar, punctuation, and the overall impact it has on our judges. Check the entry form for more details.

Winners of the prestigious Hawthorne Prize will receive an official high-resolution Hawthorne Prize seal for promotional use and possible cover placement. The results of the competition will be published and promoted on AmericanWritingAwards.com and its different media channels, the author will be featured in the "Featured Author" section of the website, the press release of winner(s) and short listers will be submitted to newspapers and media nationwide as well as referred to talent agents in New York and Los Angeles for possible manuscript review.