Inkandescent is excited to announce The Green Light Prize, an initiative aimed at discovering new literary talents. The prize is part of Inkandescent’s celebration of its tenth anniversary and invites submissions from writers whose voices remain underrepresented in the publishing landscape.
The Green Light Prize seeks an outstanding unpublished novel by a writer at any stage of their career, whether they are pursuing their first publishing deal or looking to share their voice again. The competition is open to both published and unpublished authors worldwide, as long as the submitted work has not been published in full before.
Inkandescent is particularly interested in bold and imaginative works across a variety of genres, including thrillers, horror, crime, noir, romance, science fiction, speculative fiction, fantasy, adventure, weird fiction, and anything else that captures imagination. They welcome submissions that are gripping, entertaining, surprising, daring, or difficult to categorize.
The prize is specifically geared towards uplifting voices from underrepresented backgrounds, including LGBTQ+ writers, Black and Brown writers, neurodivergent writers, those from working-class or financially disadvantaged backgrounds, and writers from regions lacking representation in the publishing world.
The winning writer will receive a royalty-based publishing contract with Inkandescent, along with full editorial development and support, UK-wide paperback distribution, international eBook distribution, the Green Light Prize trophy, and a launch event in central London.
Novels must be written in English and should fall within the word count of 40,000 to 90,000 words. Entrants will need to submit an anonymous opening extract of 5,000 words alongside a one-page synopsis. The entry fee is set at £25, although a limited number of free entries will be available for writers who may face financial barriers.
Full details and submission guidelines will be available from October 1st at:
https://www.inkandescent.co.uk/green-light
More About Inkandescent
Inkandescent is a publishing company that was started in 2016 by Justin David and Nathan Evans, all about shining a light on writers who aren’t always seen in the mainstream publishing world. They’ve featured some amazing works, like AutoFellatio by James Maker, which won the very first Polari First Book Prize, and Address Book by Neil Bartlett, recognized as an Observer Book of the Year in 2021. They also released Mainstream, an anthology filled with diverse stories that earned them a nomination for Small Press of the Year at the British Book Awards in 2022. Another standout title is On the Boardwalk by Martin Sherman, which was shortlisted for both the Theatre Book Prize and the LAMBDAs. Right now, Inkandescent are working on an exciting project called BOLD, a queer poetry anthology paired with a national tour, thanks to support from public funding through Arts Council England’s National Lottery Project Grants programme. It’s a wonderful time for Inkandescent as they continue to uplift diverse voices!
