Criteria for submissions

The Desmond Elliott Prize is an annual prize for a first novel written in English and published in the UK, written by an author whose permanent place of residence is in the UK or Ireland. Worth £10,000 to the winner, the prize is named after the literary agent and publisher, Desmond Elliott, who died in 2003.

Desmond Elliott’s desire to support new writers will live on in the shape of the prize.

When choosing the winner, a panel of three judges will look for a novel which:

• has a compelling narrative
• has arresting characters
• is both vividly written and confidently realised

Books will be considered from all fiction genres.  As an indicator, the shortlist for The Desmond Elliott Prize 2010 was Before the Earthquake by Maria Allen, Talk of the Town by Jacob Polley and The Girl with Glass Feet by Ali Shaw.