A new award for writers from refugee and migrant backgrounds has been launched this week, inviting entrants to submit narrative nonfiction work.
Footnote Press and the charity Counterpoints Arts started the prize to seek new work focused on topics of displacement, identity and resistance. The award especially welcomes writing that is intersectional, crossing cultures and borders, and that explores key political and social themes.
The winner of the Footnote x Counterpoints writing prize will receive a £10,000 cash award, a publication agreement with Footnote Press and a £5,000 advance.
Anyone from a migrant or refugee background who is resident in the UK or ROI is eligible to enter. “We have deliberately refrained from setting any parameters as to what constitutes a refugee or migrant background. You are welcome to submit your work if you identify as being from a refugee or migrant background, and to define your own connection to these terms,” the terms and conditions state.
The award seeks submissions of a detailed book proposal of 3,000 words and an 8,000 to 10,000-word sample. The book does not need to be complete to be eligible for entry. Published and unpublished writers are welcome.
Submissions opened on 19 June to coincide with Refugee Week, which is coordinated by Counterpoints. The charity’s director, Almir Koldzic, said: “We are delighted to be partnering with Footnote on this unique and timely prize, dedicated to showcasing and celebrating exceptional writers from refugee and migrant backgrounds.
“We know that the selected writers will thrill, inspire and move us and that their rich perspectives, informed by lived experiences, will shine a new light on some of the most pertinent topics shaping our lives and society.”
Submissions close on 1 October 2023 and a panel of three judges will be announced in August. A shortlist will be announced in February 2024, and the winner and two runners-up will be announced in March.
The winner and runners-up will be offered a week-long writing residency at Dartington Hall, a listed building on a 1,200-acre estate near Totnes, Devon, to work on their books. They will also have access to workshops and one-to-one meetings through the literature development agency Spread the Word. The shortlisted writers will be invited to discuss their works at an event at London’s Southbank Centre in February.
Footnote Press launched in 2022 in partnership with Bonnier Books UK, as a “mission-oriented” publisher of “politically engaged” fiction and nonfiction. “We are thrilled to be announcing the Footnote x Counterpoints writing prize on the first anniversary of our launch,” said Footnote managing director Vidisha Biswas.
“We are hugely grateful to all of our partners for their support and enthusiasm. This is such a vital and timely prize, very much in line with the Footnote mission, and will enable us to keep combating a culture of division and polarisation through the power of storytelling.”
