The Cornerstone Press, the university press of the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, is accepting submissions for the Larry Watson First Novel Prize. The prize is named in honor of bestselling American novelist Larry Watson, whose books include The Lives of Edie Pritchard (2020), As Good as Gone (2016), Let Him Go (2013), and Montana, 1948 (1993). Montana, 1948 won the Milkweed National Fiction Prize and sold over half a million copies, and Let Him Go was made into a feature film, released by Focus Features in 2020. Watson taught at the University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point, the home of Cornerstone Press, for 25 years.
Submission Period:
November 15, 2025 – January 15, 2026
Submission Materials (via Submittable):
1. Full manuscript, with title page and (when appropriate) acknowledgments page.
2. Cover Letter (including author bio, mailing address, phone number, and email address).
3. $25 entrance fee.
4. No refunds will be issued.
Winner Receives:
1. $1000 advance to the winner.
2. Publication by Cornerstone Press (standard contract issued upon announcement of winner).
3. Individual marketing/publicity campaign overseen by press interns.
4. Ten copies of the book.
5. Copyright remains with the author.
Guidelines:
1. Submission must be entrant’s first book in any genre.
2. Submission must be the entrant’s original work. The use of AI in any way is prohibited.
3. Submission must be previously unpublished, save for portions published in journals or magazines prior to submission (entrant must list previous publication venues with their submission materials).
4. Submission must be literary fiction. Genre fiction (fantasy, romance, science fiction, etc.), nonfiction, children’s fiction, and story/novella collections are not eligible for this contest.
5. Submission must come from an author living in the United States.
6. Submission must be written in English.
7. Submission should be between 40,000 and 75,000 words. Exceptions may be made. Please query.
Judging Process:
1. All entries are submitted to a blinded review process. Reviewers and judges do not know the identity of entrants.
2. Only winners will be contacted, and no feedback will be provided except to the finalists.
3. The decisions of the reviewers and judges are final. No correspondence will be entered into regarding the judging process.
4. Contest judges include past press editors and alumni of the UWSP publishing program.
5. Judges will produce a shortlist of finalists, followed by the final announcement of the winner.
6. Finalists announcement: March
7. Prize announcement: May
8. Publication: December