How to submit

The winners of the £10,000 awards will be announced in the late spring of the year following publication.

Eligible works of fiction and biography are those written in or translated into English and published in the UK in the calendar year of the award. 

Books must be published in the UK by a UK-based publisher. Books previously published outside the UK and later released in a UK edition will become eligible for that year's award.

Books can be submitted by the publisher or author.

'Biography' is defined broadly, to include autobiography, memoir, and other forms of life-writing. Similarly, not only novels but also a collection of short stories may be considered for the Fiction prize.

If in doubt as to eligibility, many questions can be answered by consulting the catalogue of previously shortlisted and winning books.

We ask that you send submissions to arrive by 16 October in the year of publication, direct to the offices of the respective judges, at the addresses below. There is no form to submit. It is helpful for us to receive two copies of each entry. We cannot accept submissions in digital form.

Please be aware that this is an earlier deadline than in previous years, which is being trialled in order to manage a significantly increase in the number of submissions. If you wish to submit works that will be published after the deadline and you do not have proofs, please inform us in advance. Otherwise, late submissions will not be accepted.

We issue a formal call in late spring. However, earlier submissions are welcome and encouraged.

We receive around 500 submissions each year and do not have capacity to confirm receipt. However, all submissions will be logged.

Answers to most questions about eligibility can be found on this page. The prizes are run with very little administrative support, so we encourage publishers, authors, or others to browse the website before getting in touch. If your question is not answered here, please contact JTBawards@ed.ac.uk.