The Bath Novel Award 2025/ How to Apply
The Bath Novel Award 2025
Are you a writer seeking a publishing deal? The Bath Novel Award is now open, offering a golden opportunity to unpublished writers, unagented writers, independently published writers and self-published writers.
Guidelines for The Bath Novel Award 2025
- The Bath Novel Award is an international contest accepting adult and young adult manuscripts of any genre.
- Subsequently, the winner of this novel writing contest will receive a grand cash prize and a trophy.
- Additionally, the 2025 winning manuscript will be judged by literary agent Laura Williams of Greene & Heaton.
- Lastly, the winner of The Bath Novel Award 2025 will be announced on the website in September 2025.
Eligibility for The Bath Novel Award 2025
- Above all, entrants may be of any age, nationality or residency.
- Furthermore, novels should be adult or young adult readers and complete at 50,000 words or more upon final submission.
- Submitted novels may be unpublished, self-published or independently published without advance.
- Similarly, submissions must be the author’s original work.
- Entries should not be produced or edited by any AI creation tools because they would be disqualified immediately.
- Significantly, employees of the Bath Novel Awards, Cornerstones Literary Consultancy, the Professional Writing Academy and the judge’s literary agency are not eligible to win.
Application Process for The Bath Novel Award
- Novels should be a single Word Doc or PDF. This should contain the opening of your book with a maximum of 5,000 words followed by a one page synopsis.
- Presenting your novel in an easy to read 12 point standard industry format is recommended. Double space your novel extract and single-space your synopsis.
- Your name and contact details should not be included in the extract/synopsis document.
- No photographs, artwork, cover images or maps needed.
- Documents should be submitted in English.
- You may enter as many novels as you desire.
- All things considered, by entering, the winner agrees to an interview which may be published on the site and in any media for publicity purposes.
How to Enter
- Basically, participants are to use the online entry form when submitting.
- Sponsored places are available for writers on low income via the sponsored places application form.
- Application fee for each novel is £29.99 (including VAT)
- Do not alter document after submission. Candidates who fail to comply with competition terms shall be disqualified.
- Closing date for entry is May 2025 at 23:59 BST.
Competition Process
- When the submission closes, longlisted entrants will be emailed in June 2025 and invited to submit their full manuscript for the shortlist judging stages.
- Afterwards, the shortlist will be released in July 2025
- Writers retain full copyright, however by participating, all entrants who are shortlisted give permission to have an extract of up to 5,000 words posted on the site.
- The judge’s decision is final, and no correspondence will be entered into concerning this decision. The Bath Novel Awards reserve the right to change the judge without notice.
What are Prizes for The Bath Novel Award 2025?
- Winner will be awarded £5,000 GBP. In the event of a joint win, the prize will be shared equally between winners.
- A beautiful Minerva trophy inspired by the iconic sculpture in the Bath’s Roman baths will also be awarded to winner.
- All shortlisted writers will receive a compilation of competition readers’ comments on their full manuscripts . While all longlisted writers will receive a compilation of readers’ comments of their initially submitted extract and synopsis.
- A participant with the most promising longlisted novel, as judged by Cornerstones Literary Consultancy will be announced in September 2025 and will go on to receive a free place on the 18 week online course Edit Your Novel the Professional Way. The course is non-transferable and there is no cash alternative to this prize.
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