Center for Fiction First Novel Prize

The Center for Fiction's 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., and, from 2011 to 2014, the Flaherty-Dunnan First Novel Prize, named after Center for Fiction board member Nancy Dunnan and her journalist father Ray W. Flaherty.^[1]

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, and the winning novel is then announced at an awards event—both events usually occurring in December. The winning novelist receives a cash prize of $10,000; each finalist receives $1,000.^[4]

Winners and shortlisted nominees[]

Year	Winner	Shortlist	Ref(s).
2006	Marisha Pessl, Special Topics in Calamity Physics	Marie Arana, Cellophane Nell Freudenberger, The Dissident Peter Orner, The Second Coming of Mavala Shikongo Patrick Ryan, Send Me	[5]
2007	Junot Díaz, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao	Daniel Alarcón, Lost City Radio 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	[6]
2008	Hannah Tinti, The Good Thief	Stefan Merrill Block, The Story of Forgetting 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	[7]
2009	John Pipkin,	Paul Harding, Tinkers Yiyun Li, The Vagrants Philipp Meyer, American Rust Patrick Somerville, The Cradle	[8]
2010	Karl Marlantes, Matterhorn	Michelle Hoover, The Quickening , The Report Maaza Mengiste, Beneath the Lion's Gaze Julie Orringer, The Invisible Bridge , This Is Just Exactly Like You Adam Ross, Mr. Peanut	[9]
2011	Bonnie Nadzam,	, The Sweet Relief of Missing Children Carolyn Cooke, Daughters of the Revolution , The History of History , Shards David Vann, Caribou Island Alexi Zentner, Touch	[10]
2012	Ben Fountain, Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk	Patrick Flanery, Absolution Tupelo Hassman, Girlchild , The Dog Stars Eowyn Ivey, The Snow Child Kevin Powers, The Yellow Birds Maggie Shipstead, Seating Arrangements G. Willow Wilson, Alif the Unseen	[11]
2013	Margaret Wrinkle, Wash	Lea Carpenter, Eleven Days Marjorie Celona, Y , The Morels Mitchell S. Jackson, The Residue Years Anthony Marra, A Constellation of Vital Phenomena , Motherlunge Taiye Selasi, Ghana Must Go	[12]
2014	Tiphanie Yanique,	Rene Denfeld, The Enchanted , Fourth of July Creek , The Invention of Exile , We Are Not Ourselves , The Land of Steady Habits , The Great Glass Sea	[13]
2015	Viet Thanh Nguyen, The Sympathizer	Angela Flournoy, The Turner House Tanwi Nandini Islam, Bright Lines , The Unfortunates , Against the Country Chigozie Obioma, The Fishermen Lori Ostlund, After the Parade	[14]
2016	Kia Corthron, The Castle Cross the Magnet Carter	Emma Cline, The Girls 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	[15]
2017	,	, What to Do About the Solomons Jaroslav Kalfař, Spaceman of Bohemia , Tiger Pelt , As Lie Is to Grin , The Second Mrs. Hockaday , Empire of Glass	[16]
2018	Tommy Orange, There There	Jen Beagin, Pretend I'm Dead Akwaeke Emezi, Freshwater Lisa Halliday, Asymmetry Tadzio Koelb, Trenton Makes , Confessions of the Fox , The Parking Lot Attendant	[17]
2019	,	, The Unpassing Julia Phillips, Disappearing Earth Pitchaya Sudbanthad, Bangkok Wakes to Rain Ocean Vuong, On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous , Fall Back Down When I Die Lauren Wilkinson, American Spy	[18]
2020	Raven Leilani, Luster	Amina Cain, Indelicacy , These Ghosts Are Family , Temporary , The Redshirt Douglas Stuart, Shuggie Bain C Pam Zhang, How Much of These Hills Is Gold	[19]
2021	Kirstin Valdez Quade, The Five Wounds	, Linda Rui Feng, Honorée Fanonne Jeffers, The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois , Patricia Lockwood, No One Is Talking About This ,	[20]

See also[]

• List of American literary awards

References[]

External links[]

• The First Novel Prize, official website.