The Virginia Prize for Fiction
Aurora Metro launched the biennial competition to find and promote new women fiction writers from around the world in 2009. The Virginia Prize for Fiction (2023) is open for submissions in January 2023.
​
The competition is run every two years and the prize is open to any woman (over 18) from around the world, writing in English. The shortlisted writers will receive editorial help to develop their novels for publication by Aurora Metro Books. The winner will also receive a contract with an advance payment and royalty for the rights to publish their novel.
Entries can be of any genre but cannot have been published or self-published before.
​
Deadlines:
Entry fee £15 early bird until June 1st
£20 standard until August 1st
£25 late entry until December 31st
If unable to pay by PayPal please send cheque (payable to Aurora Metro Publications Ltd) to AURORA METRO, 80 HILL RISE, RICHMOND TW10 6UB UK or email
virginiaprize@gmail.com if you wish to pay via BACs.
​
You can enter the competition from January 2023 and we have extended the deadline to December 31st 2023.
​
PAY £25 ENTRY FEE HERE
​
SEND YOUR MANUSCRIPT AND ENTRY FORM TO virginiaprize@gmail.com
GET YOUR ENTRY FORM with the rules, eligibility and
TERMS AND CONDITONS here
​
Or use the online form below.
Recent winners include Natalie Bayley (above) for her novel Bone Rites launched in Australia in October 2023 and in UK in November 2023. You can pre-order it here.
Previous winners include Nikki Dudley for her novel Volta published in 2021 and Dipika Mukherjee for her novel Shambala Junction, which was published in 2016. Other shortlisted novels published were: The Dragonfly by Kate Dunn in 2017 and The Walls Came Down by Ewa Dodd in 2018. You can pre-order any of the books now at: www.aurorametro.com
See below some of the books which have won or been shortlisted to date.
Natalie Bayley the 2022 winner
Nikki Dudley the 2020 winner
Dipika Mukherjee the 2016 winner
