Sutherland House Nonfiction Prize
Deadline: Sept. 30, 2022
Sutherland House is establishing an annual prize for the best nonfiction book project, open to both new and experienced writers anywhere in the world. The winner will receive a contract for publication with Sutherland House including a $10,000 (Can.) advance.
The prize will emphasize works of narrative non-fiction that require substantial research or subject matter expertise. It will be awarded to a work in progress, either a well-developed proposal or a first-draft manuscript. This will allow our editors to work with the prize winner, providing editorial guidance toward the project’s completion. At minimum, entrants should have a written overview of the book, a sample chapter, and a thorough chapter-by-chapter synopsis.
Writers do not need an agent to submit, although agents are welcome to submit the work of writers they represent.
The 2022 Sutherland House Nonfiction Prize will be judged by Sutherland House editors.
Sutherland House will announce the winning submission by December 1, 2022.
• There is no fee for entry
• All entries must be postmarked by October 1, 2022 or submitted online by midnight EST.
• No manuscripts or proposals will be returned.
• Only English-language entries will be considered.
• Manuscripts and books that have been self-published are not eligible.
• Simultaneous submissions are permitted.
• Entries will be judged by the editors of Sutherland House.
• No one editorially or financially affiliated with Sutherland House is eligible for the contest.
• By entering the contest, authors agree to have their work developed and published by Sutherland House.
• All entries will be considered for publication by Sutherland House.
• Results will be announced by December 1, 2022.
• Winning entry will be published in 2023-2024. The winner will be notified by email or telephone.
• Sutherland House reserves the right to contact entrants to ask questions relevant to the execution and completion of an entered work.
• This is intended as an annual award. Sutherland House reserves the right not to award the prize in a given year if the editors cannot find a publishable manuscript among the submissions.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Manuscripts or proposals that have previously been published or are under contract to a publisher are not eligible.
How to Enter
• All entries should include, at minimum, a letter of not more than 500 words summarizing the book and the author’s intentions; a brief resume or summary of the entrant’s qualifications relevant to authorship; a detailed chapter-by-chapter summary of the book; and a sample chapter. Entrants are invited to submit multiple chapters, incomplete, or complete manuscripts.
• All relevant contact information including mailing address, telephone number, and email address must accompany each entry.
• If possible, please submit your manuscript as a Word document (preferred) or PDF.
• Submit entries with all material to prize@sutherlandhousebooks.com.