The Bath Novel Award

The Bath Novel Award 2026 is one of the most prestigious international prizes for unpublished and self-published novelists. It recognises excellence in adult and young adult fiction across all genres and provides structured feedback and development opportunities for longlisted and shortlisted authors.

Submissions must be original novels written in English. Initial entries consist of the opening extract of up to 5,000 words plus a one-page synopsis; the extract and synopsis are judged blind. Full manuscripts should be at least 50,000 words for novels and 25,000 words for novels-in-verse if longlisted and invited to submit a full manuscript. Entrants may submit as many novels as they wish, provided each is entered separately and meets the guidelines.

The competition is international, open to writers of any nationality or residency. It specifically targets emerging authors, defined as unagented writers who have not accepted a book deal with an advance, but does accept unpublished, self-published, or independently published works without advance. Longlisted and shortlisted entrants receive detailed feedback on extracts and full manuscripts, and one longlisted writer wins a place on an 18-week professional editing course.

Prizes:

• Winner: £5,000 and the Minerva trophy.
• Shortlisted writers receive feedback on full manuscripts.
• Longlisted writers receive feedback on their extract and synopsis.
• One longlisted entrant wins a place on the “Edit Your Novel the Professional Way” course.

Is this competition legit?YES! – Based on our research this event is legitimate and the organizer is well established. However, as with any event, please remember to do your own research before submitting your work.

FAQ
If you are curious how writing competitions work, or it’s your first time entering one, we recommend reading our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page first.

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