Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize Explained

The Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize
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Awarded For:	Exceptional first novels
Date:	25 July 2024
Country:	United Kingdom
Presenter:	Waterstones
Winner:	or
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Most Wins:	-->
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The Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize, established in 2022,^[1] is an annual literary award presented by British bookseller Waterstones to the best debut fiction published in the previous 12 months. The award is intended to "celebrate[] the very best fresh voices in fiction and share[] the joy and magic of discovering new authors." Fictional books of all genres are considered, "including genre fiction such as crime, sci-fi and fantasy as well as fiction in translation."^{[2] [3]}

Award winners receive £5,000 and "the backing of all Waterstones shops."

Recipients

Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize winners and finalists!Year!Author!Title!Result!Ref.

2022		The Rabbit Hutch	Winner	^[4]
		How High We Go in the Dark	Shortlist	^[5] ^[6] ^[7]
		Vagabonds!
		Memphis
		Lessons in Chemistry
		Trespasses
2023		In Memoriam	Winner	^[8]
		Chain-Gang All-Stars	Shortlist	^[9]
		Fire Rush
		Close to Home
		Wandering Souls
		Kala
2024		Martyr!	Shortlist	^[10] ^[11] ^[12]
		The Ministry of Time
		The Silence in Between
		Mongrel
		Glorious Exploits
		Greta and Valdin

Notes and References

1. Web site: Orhanen . Anna . 2022-07-21 . Why Debuts Matter: Bea Carvalho on the Ethos Behind the Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize . 2022-07-23 . Waterstones.
2. Web site: Bayley . Sian . 2022-04-04 . Waterstones launches £5,000 debut fiction prize . 2022-07-23 . The Bookseller . En.
3. Web site: 2022-04-05 . Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize . 2022-07-23 . Locus Online . en-US.
4. Web site: Zodgekar . Yash . Niva . Yadav . 2022-08-25 . Tess Gunty’s ‘fiercely original’ The Rabbit Hutch wins inaugural Waterstones debut fiction prize . 2022-11-16 . The Guardian . en.
5. Web site: 2022-07-22 . Awards: Waterstones Debut Fiction Shortlist . 2022-07-23 . Shelf Awareness.
6. Web site: Doyle . Martin . 2022-07-21 . Louise Kennedy on Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize shortlist; Margaret Atwood at Clifden festival . 2022-07-23 . The Irish Times . en.
7. Web site: Shaffi . Sarah . 2022-07-20 . Shortlist announced for Waterstones debut fiction prize . 2022-07-23 . the Guardian . en.
8. News: Alice Winn wins 2023 Waterstones debut fiction prize for In Memoriam . 25 August 2023 . The Guardian . 24 August 2023.
9. Web site: 2023-07-17 . Waterstones debut fiction prize shortlist announced . 2023-07-23 . Books+Publishing.
10. Web site: Cooper-Fiske . Casey . 2024-06-18 . ‘Eye-opening’ time travel story shortlisted for debut fiction prize . 2024-06-19 . Evening Standard . en.
11. Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize 2024 Shortlist . 2024-06-10 . Waterstones . 2024-06-19 . YouTube.
12. Web site: 2024-06-18 . ‘Eye-opening’ time travel story shortlisted for debut fiction prize . 2024-06-19 . www.corklive.ie . en.