Green Stories Novel Prize

The Green Stories Novel Prize is a competition run by Green Stories and is open to all adults, who are passionate about storytelling and the environment.

Open to partial drafts and completed novels of 60,000 – 95,000 words in length. Submit three chapters of 4,000 – 10,000 words.

Entrants must show they have read at least one of the books from the Green Stories project that provide an example of entertaining mainstream fiction that meets the criteria of showing green solutions (not just problems) that readers can engage with.

It is free to enter.

Entry Fee: Free* but to avoid large numbers of entries that don’t meet the criteria, entrants must show they have read at least one of the books from the Green Stories project that provide an example of entertaining mainstream fiction that meets the criteria of showing green solutions (not just problems) that readers can engage with. This year, there is a choice of books that have emerged from our Green Stories project three of which we have discounted by 25% for competitions entrants (eBooks only). Paperbacks are available direct from the publisher or Amazon, or from your local bookshop.

When you submit you will be asked three questions:

Please say which story you read and write a paragraph or two on which sections/stories best combined entertainment with green solutions?
Please write a paragraph or two on any stories/sections that did not do this well.
Did reading these stories/book affect your knowledge, attitudes, emotions (e.g. eco-anxiety, hope) or behaviour in any way? If so, please write a paragraph or two to explain.

The answers to these questions inform our choice of which stories to keep in future and also help authors to understand what works well and what doesn’t. Note: You do not need to include this with your submission – questions will be via a separate text box upon submitting.

Length: Typically novels are 60,000 – 95,000 words. Submit three chapters* (minimum of 4000 words, maximum 10,000 words) as one document that must include the following:

the first chapter
another chapter that best showcases how your novel meets the green stories criteria
a third chapter (suggest the final chapter if possible)
a synopsis between 500 and 1000 words (name and contact details optional – we can identify via submission page) that covers genre, plot, characters, and details of how it meets the green stories criteria of showcasing positive visions of a more sustainable society or incorporating green solutions into the context of an otherwise mainstream story.

*You can submit more than three chapters if you need to, in order to make up to 4,000 words. If you get to the short list, we may then ask for more chapters or the full novel from the best entries to help us decide. Submission link at end of page.

Eligibility:

Open to all adults (18+) of any nationality, as long as the submission is in English and has not been published elsewhere.

All submissions must conform to the green stories criteria of showcasing positive visions of a more sustainable society or incorporating green solutions into the context of an otherwise mainstream story. We will accept young adult but are NOT looking for children’s stories.

The competition is open to novels that are either:

– Partially complete (at least 50%) in the first draft phase
– Fully complete and unpublished (between 50,000 and 100,000 words).