Center for Fiction First Novel Prize

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The Center for Fiction First Novel Prize is an annual award presented by the Center for Fiction, a non-profit organization in New York City, for the best debut novel. From 2006 to 2011, it was called the John Sargent, Sr. First Novel Prize in honor of John Turner Sargent, Sr.. From 2011 to 2014, it was known as the Flaherty-Dunnan First Novel Prize, named for Center for Fiction board member Nancy Dunnan and her journalist father Ray W. Flaherty. [1]

Contents

Publishers nominate English-language works by first-time United States novelists. [2] [3] There is a two-tiered selection process for the prize. First, the nominees are read by a network of booklovers (referred to as Common Readers), including librarians, writers, staff, members, and friends of The Center for Fiction, giving rise to a long list of recommended books. Next, the Common Readers' long list is forwarded to a committee of distinguished American writers, who select a short list, typically comprising five to seven titles, which is publicly announced in the late summer. All finalists are invited to read from their works at a First Novel Fête. The winning novel is announced at an awards event—both of these events usually occur in December. The winning novelist receives a cash prize of $10,000; each finalist receives $1,000. [4]

Recipients

First Novel Prize winners and nominees
YearAuthorTitleResultRef.
2006 Marisha Pessl Special Topics in Calamity Physics Winner [5] [6]
Marie Arana CellophaneShortlist [5]
Nell Freudenberger The Dissident
Peter Orner The Second Coming of Mavala Shikongo
Patrick Ryan Send Me
2007 Junot Díaz The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao Winner [7] [6]
Daniel Alarcón Lost City Radio Shortlist [7] [8]
Mischa Berlinski Fieldwork
Jon Clinch Finn
Nathan Englander The Ministry of Special Cases
Austin Grossman Soon I Will Be Invincible
Ehud Havazelet Bearing the Body
2008 Hannah Tinti The Good Thief Winner [9] [6]
Stefan Merrill Block The Story of ForgettingShortlist [9]
Rivka Galchen Atmospheric Disturbances
Beth Helms Dervishes
Peter Manseau Songs for the Butcher's Daughter
Ed Park Personal Days
David Wroblewski The Story of Edgar Sawtelle
2009 John Pipkin WoodsburnerWinner [10]
Paul Harding Tinkers Shortlist [10]
Yiyun Li The Vagrants
Philipp Meyer American Rust
Patrick Somerville The Cradle
2010 Karl Marlantes Matterhorn Winner [11]
Michelle Hoover The QuickeningShortlist [11]
Jessica Francis Kane The Report
Maaza Mengiste Beneath the Lion's Gaze
Julie Orringer The Invisible Bridge
Drew Perry This Is Just Exactly Like You
Adam Ross Mr. Peanut
2011 Bonnie Nadzam LambWinner [12] [13]
Sarah Braunstein The Sweet Relief of Missing ChildrenShortlist [12] [14]
Carolyn Cooke Daughters of the Revolution
Ida Hattemer-Higgins The History of History
Ismet Prcic Shards
David Vann Caribou Island
Alexi Zentner Touch
2012 Ben Fountain Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk Winner [15] [16]
Patrick Flanery AbsolutionShortlist [15]
Tupelo Hassman Girlchild
Peter Heller The Dog Stars
Eowyn Ivey The Snow Child
Kevin Powers The Yellow Birds
Maggie Shipstead Seating Arrangements
G. Willow Wilson Alif the Unseen
2013 Margaret Wrinkle WashWinner [17] [18]
Lea Carpenter Eleven Days Shortlist [17] [19]
Marjorie Celona Y
Christopher Hacker The Morels
Mitchell S. Jackson The Residue Years
Anthony Marra A Constellation of Vital Phenomena
Kirstin Scott Motherlunge
Taiye Selasi Ghana Must Go
2014 Tiphanie Yanique Land of Love and DrowningWinner [20] [21]
Rene Denfeld The EnchantedShortlist [22] [20]
Smith Henderson Fourth of July Creek
Vanessa Manko The Invention of Exile
Matthew Thomas We Are Not Ourselves
Ted Thompson The Land of Steady Habits
Josh Weil The Great Glass Sea
2015 Viet Thanh Nguyen The Sympathizer Winner [23] [24] [25]
Angela Flournoy The Turner House Shortlist [23] [26]
Tanwi Nandini Islam Bright Lines
Sophie McManus The Unfortunates
Ben Metcalf Against the Country
Chigozie Obioma The Fishermen
Lori Ostlund After the Parade
2016 Kia Corthron The Castle Cross the Magnet Carter Winner [27] [28]
Emma Cline The Girls Shortlist [27] [29]
Nicole Dennis-Benn Here Comes the Sun
Kaitlyn Greenidge We Love You, Charlie Freeman
Garth Greenwell What Belongs to You
Yaa Gyasi Homegoing
Krys Lee How I Became a North Korean
2017 Julie Lekstrom Himes Mikhail and MargaritaWinner [30] [31]
Bethany Ball What to Do About the SolomonsShortlist [30] [32]
Jaroslav Kalfař Spaceman of Bohemia
Annabelle Kim Tiger Pelt
Simeon Marsalis As Lie Is to Grin
Susan Rivers The Second Mrs. Hockaday
Kaitlin Solimine Empire of Glass
2018 Tommy Orange There There Winner [33] [34] [35] [36]
Jen Beagin Pretend I'm Dead Shortlist [33] [37]
Akwaeke Emezi Freshwater
Lisa Halliday Asymmetry
Tadzio Koelb Trenton Makes
Jordy Rosenberg Confessions of the Fox
Nafkote Tamirat The Parking Lot Attendant
2019 De'Shawn Charles Winslow In West MillsWinner [38] [39] [35]
Chia-Chia Lin The UnpassingShortlist [40] [41] [42]
Julia Phillips Disappearing Earth
Pitchaya Sudbanthad Bangkok Wakes to Rain
Ocean Vuong On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous
Joe Wilkins Fall Back Down When I Die
Lauren Wilkinson American Spy
2020 Raven Leilani Luster Winner [43] [44] [35]
Amina Cain Indelicacy Shortlist [45] [43] [46] [47]
Maisy Card These Ghosts Are Family
Hilary Leichter Temporary
Corey Sobel The Redshirt
Douglas Stuart Shuggie Bain
C Pam Zhang How Much of These Hills Is Gold
2021 Kirstin Valdez Quade The Five Wounds Winner [48] [49]
Priyanka Champaneri The City of Good DeathShortlist [48] [50]
Linda Rui Feng Swimming Back to Trout River
Honorée Fanonne Jeffers The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois
Violet Kupersmith Build Your House Around My Body
Patricia Lockwood No One Is Talking About This
Jackie Polzin Brood
2022 Noor Naga If an Egyptian Cannot Speak EnglishWinner [51] [52] [53]
Daphne Palasi Andreades Brown GirlsShortlist [54] [55] [56]
Jessamine Chan The School for Good Mothers
Isabel Kaplan NSFW
Alyssa Songsiridej Little Rabbit
Mecca Jamilah Sullivan Big Girl
Vauhini Vara The Immortal King Rao
2023 Tyriek White We Are a HauntingWinner [57]
Elizabeth Acevedo Family Lore Shortlist [58]
Christine Byl Lookout
Eskor David Johnson Pay as You Go
Jamila Minnicks Moonrise Over New Jessup
Tracey Rose Peyton Night Wherever We Go
Esther Yi Y/N
2024Rita BullwinkelHeadshotShortlist [59]
Ruthvika RaoThe Fertile Earth
Mai SennaarThey Dream in Gold
Clare SestanovichAsk Me Again
Morgan Talty Fire Exit
Joseph Earl ThomasGod Bless You, Otis Spunkmeyer
Ledia XhogaMisinterpretation

See also

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References

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