ASA/HQ Fiction Prize

The Promoters

1. This Prize is jointly promoted by the Australian Society of Authors Limited (ABN 26 008 558 790) of Suite C1.06, 22-36 Mountain Street, ULTIMO, NSW (ASA) and HarperCollins Publishers Australia Pty Ltd (ABN 36 009 913 517) of Level 13, 201 Elizabeth Street, SYDNEY, NSW (HQ).

Eligibility for Entry

2. The Prize is for a novel (book-length work of commercial fiction) not previously published. Previously published novels, including independently published works or works out on submission, are NOT eligible for entry.
3. The novel must be in English.
4. Novels written by two or more authors are eligible for entry.
5. Each author of a novel must be:

          (a) an Australian or New Zealand citizen or permanent resident; and

          (b) aged 18 years or over.

6. The Prize is looking for an original work of commercial fiction. Non-fiction, erotica, fantasy, science-fiction, young adult/children’s, horror, poetry or plays are NOT eligible for entry.
7. Novels must be submitted online as a Microsoft Word or PDF document, Word preferred. Submissions should be submitted in Times New Roman font, 12 point, double-spaced with 3cm margins and page numbers on each page. Submissions must include:

          (a) a manuscript of between 70,000 and 140,000 words; and

          (b) 500 word synopsis providing a brief summary of the plot, major characters, themes and settings; and

          (c) 300 word biography of each author.

8. Manuscripts may be submitted by an author/s, or by a literary agent on behalf of an author/s. If a novel is submitted by an agent, each author’s consent to enter the novel must also be obtained.
9. An author and literary agent may submit more than one work, however if the novel is part of a series, only the first novel in any series may be submitted.
10. All contact details, including full name, postal address, email address and telephone number, for each author and agent (if applicable) must be included on the entry form for the entry to be valid.
11. The judges, Board members and directors, employees and their immediate families of the ASA, HQ and HarperCollins Publishers (New Zealand) Ltd are ineligible to enter this Prize. Immediate family means any of the following: spouse, ex-spouse, de-facto spouse, child or step-child (whether by natural or by adoption), parent, step-parent, grandparent, step-grandparent, uncle, aunt, niece, nephew, brother, sister, step-brother, step-sister or first cousin.

The Prize

12. The 1 winner of the Prize will receive an offer of publication by HQ on reasonable commercial terms, consistent with industry standards for commercial fiction, such offer including a cash advance against royalties of A$10,000. By entering the Prize, the winner grants HQ the exclusive first option to consider to publish their manuscript and agrees to negotiate in good faith to execute a publishing contract with HQ on reasonable commercial terms. The first instalment of the advance is payable upon execution of the publishing contract with HQ.
13. The 1 runner-up will receive a free ASA membership until the end of the current financial year period and a $500 cash prize. If the runner up has already paid for ASA membership for the current financial year, a gratis membership will be awarded for the following financial year.
14. By entering the Prize, authors of all shortlisted manuscripts, including the runner-up and winner, agree that, for a period of 30 days from the date of the prize ceremony, HQ will have the exclusive first option to consider to publish their manuscripts and enter into publishing agreements with them in relation to their manuscripts. If HQ does not offer a shortlisted author a publishing contract during the exclusive option period, the shortlisted author is free to approach any other publisher.
15. No part of the Prize may be transferred or redeemed for cash.

Key Dates

16. Entries open at 3.00pm, AEDT, on 29 November 2023.
17. Entries close at 5pm, AEDT, on 31 January 2024.
18. Late entries will not be eligible for entry.
19. A shortlist of no more than 5 entries, from which the 1 winner and 1 runner up will be chosen, and highly commended entries (if any) will be announced on 1 May 2024.
20. The winner of the Prize and runner up will be announced on 15 May 2024 online. The names of the winner, runner up and shortlisted entrants will be published on the ASA and HQ’s websites and social media.

Entry fees

21. ASA Members: First submission free. $25 for each subsequent submission.
22. Non-ASA Members: $65 for each submission

How to enter

23. Each entrant must:

          (a) complete and submit the online application form.

          (b) pay the submission fee if applicable.

24. Receipt of applications will be acknowledged after submission.
25. Application material will not be returned.

Selection Criteria

26. From the entries, a longlist will be determined by two expert assessors appointed by the Promoters and then such longlist will be judged by a judging panel comprised of three (3) people from HQ’s editorial team.
27. The judges will determine a shortlist of no more than 5 entries and then consider which novel is best and will determine the 1 winner, having considered:

          (a) the entrant’s creativity, originality and writing ability, focusing on style, appropriateness of form, skilled use of language, clarity of expression and sustained development of themes or ideas; and

          (b) the commercial viability of the manuscript and potential in appealing to HQ’s audience.

28. The judges will then consider which novel is the next best and will determine the 1 runner-up, having considered the entrant’s creativity, originality and writing ability, focusing on style, appropriateness of form, skilled use of language, clarity of expression and sustained development of themes or ideas.
29. The shortlist, winner and runner-up will be decided by the judging panel. The decision of the judging panel is final and no correspondence will be entered into. Chance plays no part in determining the longlist, shortlist, winner or runner up.
30. The Promoter and its panel of judges may, in their absolute discretion, decline to award any or all prizes, including where the judges determine that an entry is not of publication standard.
31. If there is any event that prevents or hinders the Promoter’s conduct of the Prize or the Promoter’s ability to deliver a prize to the winner or runner-up, the Promoter may, in its discretion, cancel the Prize and recommence it at another time under the same conditions.

Disqualification

32. The judges, in their absolute discretion, may disqualify any entrant or entries if they reasonably suspect any unlawful or improper conduct, such as infringing a third party’s intellectual property rights, or if there has been a breach of these terms and conditions. The Promoter reserves the right, at any time, to verify the validly of entries and entrants (including the entrant’s identity, age and place of residence) and to disqualify any entrant who tampers with the entry process. Failure by the Promoter to enforce any of its rights at any stage does not constitute a waiver of those rights.

Intellectual property

33. Each author warrants that:

          (a) they have all necessary rights to submit their entry and the material submitted has not been previously published or licensed for publication in any form in any territory;

          (b) their manuscript is their original creation;

          (c) their manuscript has not been wholly or substantially created by the use of generative AI technologies;

          (d) to the best of their knowledge, their manuscript is not defamatory;

          (e) their manuscript does not infringe any existing copyright or licence or any other third party rights.

34. Each author agrees to indemnify the Promoter against any loss or damage resulting from any breach of the warranties above and acknowledge that the Promoter may, in its absolute discretion, not award any prize to you for breach of the warranties above.
35. Copyright in all entries remains the property of the author/s.

Privacy

36. To administer this promotion and award the Prize, the Promoter needs to collect personal information about authors and agents. If they do not provide the information requested, the Promoter may not be able to provide them with entry to the Prize.
37. By entering this Prize, the author consents to the ASA and HQ collecting their personal information for the purposes of administering this Prize. The ASA and HQ may disclose their personal information: (a) to the expert assessors and the judging panel; (b) confidentially to organisations that provide services in relation to the Prize; and (c) if applicable, to State and Territory Lottery departments. The ASA and HQ may use the author’s name, title, photograph and biography for the purpose of announcing the shortlist, winner and runner up of the Prize and for associated publicity purposes. The author may request access to his or her personal information by calling the ASA Privacy Officer on +61 2 9211 1004 or the HarperCollins Privacy Officer on +61 2 9952 5000.
38. Each entrant warrants that he or she meets the entry requirements, all details included in their entry is true and accurate, and accepts these terms and conditions.
39. You acknowledge this Prize is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook. Any questions, comments or complaints regarding this Competition must be directed to ASA and/or HQ rather than to Facebook.
40. To the full extent permitted by the law, the Promoter will not be liable for any delay, death, injury, damages, expenses, or loss whatsoever (whether direct or consequential) to persons or property as a result of any person entering into the competition or accepting or using any prize, including without limitation non-receipt of any prize or damage to any prize in transit and the Prize winner’s failure to comply with the terms and conditions (if any) specified by any third party.

Queries should be directed to the ASA on 02 9211 1004 or [email protected].