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OWN IT! and Amazon launch award for new commercial fiction writers
OWN IT! and Amazon Publishing have partnered to launch the New Voices Award, a writing competition aiming to diversify voices in the commercial fiction space.
Open to unagented and underrepresented writers of commercial fiction, the competition will recognise one overall winner and three finalists, due to be announced in October in an online event hosted by author Sean Godfrey. The overall winner will receive a £3,500 cash prize, detailed editorial feedback, and mentoring from an OWN IT! agent and Amazon Publishing editor. The finalists will also receive a full editorial review of their entry from an Amazon Publishing editor and a virtual mentoring session from an OWN IT! agent.
Submissions are focused on commercial fiction manuscripts by writers from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds. This includes those that are neurodivergent, from a Black, Asian background or ethnic minority background, who are a member of the LGBTQ community, are disabled, have a low household income, those who have experienced a lack of academic or vocational training opportunities, those who have experienced homelessness, or are a single parent.
OWN IT’s! marketing and brand executive Shae Davies said: “We care about contributing to creating an ecosystem where universal stories can come from a truly representative community of eclectic voices and diversity is measured through creativity. However, we understand that to do this, we first need a more level playing field so that all writers from all backgrounds feel valued and are given equal opportunities.”
Submissions open today (15th August) and will close on 2nd September. Applicants are invited to submit the first 2,000 words of their manuscript to the OWN IT! site, writing in genres including crime, mystery, romance, historical and book club fiction.
Sammia Hamer, editorial director at Amazon, added: “I am thrilled that Amazon Publishing is teaming with OWN IT! It is so important for me to find stories that are unique and fresh and come from different perspectives; authors whose backgrounds might have made it more difficult to be discovered.”
OWN IT! was created by trailblazing founders Crystal Mahey-Morgan and Jason Morgan, as a way to address a lack of representation within the arts and creative industries. The publisher, agency and lifestyle brand recently joined The Partnership Group, as the company looks to develop a production arm.
