I love Paris, I love novellas. These are not unusual things. What is unusual is the new Paris Literary Prize, run by the delicious Shakespeare & Co., which is for a novella by an unpublished author (that is, no book yet) which has a prize of €10,000. Oooooh la la!
Deadline: 1st December
Entry fee: €50 (Eek!)
Les renseignements:
The Paris Literary Prize 2011
Shakespeare and Company, in collaboration with The de Groot Foundation, is pleased to announce the launch of our first literary prize. Shakespeare and Company has a long-standing tradition of opening its doors to aspiring writers and in keeping with that philosophy, the 10,000€ Paris Literary Prize is ONLY open to writers who have not yet published a book. We believe that a prize of this kind can make a difference in launching a new writer’s career.
We have long been admirers of the novella, a genre which includes such classics as The Old Man and the Sea, Animal Farm and The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie. The Paris Literary Prize celebrates this small but perfectly formed genre while giving a unique opportunity to writers whose voice has not yet been heard.
"If a law were passed giving six months to every writer of a first book, only the good ones would do it." Bertrand Russell
Please read the terms and conditions for the Paris Literary Prize below. Happy writing and we look forward to reading your work!
Terms & Conditions – 2011 Paris Literary Prize
The 2011 Paris Literary Prize will be awarded for an unpublished novella (defined by the
Oxford English Dictionary as a short novel, or long story). A submitted novella must be a sustained narrative with a minimum word count of 20,000 and maximum of 30,000. Linked
short stories, and works aimed at children or young adults will not be considered.
The Award
The 2011 Paris Literary Prize award is 10,000€ and a weekend stay in Paris, France. The winner will also read from his or her work at a special event at Shakespeare and Company Bookshop in Paris.
The Paris Literary Prize Runner-up awards:
There will be two runner-up awards. These awardees will receive a weekend stay in Paris and
an opportunity to read from their work at a special event at Shakespeare and Company Bookshop in Paris.
Submissions are accepted on line at www.parisliteraryprize.com beginning 1 August, 2010.
Lots more rules and regs here.
11 comments:
That's a hefty entry fee, but a hefty prize to match, and with novellas being relatively hard to place this could attract a lot of entries.
Cheers,
Bob
Hi Bob
Yes, large entry fees are very off-putting for people. But it's exactly as you say - v few outlets for novellas and a great prize.
Thanks for stopping by!
I am so tempted by that but so frightened by the cost, bet loads of people will enter it and I'm already so out of pocket it's unfunny! Still got no settee! Been here three years!
Will have a think about it.
€50!!!
What an odd, cool competition. But yikes, who has €50 for an entry fee? Oh well, maybe I'll come into money before the end of the year ... thanks for the heads up!
Double EEK ! -Perhaps terminal
I know. Fifty feckin euro. I doubt I'd enter even if I was eligible. It's just too much.
I'd love to know how many entries they get.
That's totally brilliant, a much-needed boost for the novella! Although very steep entry fee....aargh. Luckily, novellas are FAR too long for me to write and double luckily I'm ineligible. Can I just go to Paris instead?
T - only if I can squeeze into your suitcase :)
Dear Nuala: Wonders how many entries will be received and what sort of subject matter is preferred by the judges of said Paris Literary Prize? One can dream while atop of the inspiring Eiffel Tower or find grist in milling around the virtual cafes. Maybe the judges would enjoy a novella steeped in the reminesces of a voyageur lost in time seeking once more the vast Canadian wilderness. This I could do, without thinking. However, if I must write about a place like Paris and its people, I must go there to write about it! Good reason for a Paris vacation! As I would feel somewhat displaced in reference to time and place of the Parisian mileu. Lacking the direct experience found in the City of Love. However, I still feel somewhat stuck in the backwoods of Canuckistan literally and figuratively. One must be emersed to realize authentic speech and affectations found in of various characters real and imagined, Now I wonder what they are really wanting as I can sense the hot breath of bull moose on my neck. Not unlike Paris really! This should be a kicker!
Chico - I doubt if they specifically want Paris-set books. But if a fabulous novella set in Paris were to come along, no doubt it would be in the running.
Writing about what you know is no bad thing, I feel. No matter how big a literary cliché.
I'd read about neck-breathing moose in the wilderness quite happily! I am crazy about Canada at the mo having just been :)
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