 |  |  |
AM Heath are launching a biennial adult novel prize to honour the much-loved double Booker Prize-winning author Hilary Mantel, who died in 2022. Hilary was a staunch supporter of countless first-time novelists, so the prize will focus on work in progress from unpublished writers, with the aim of offering the mentoring and financial support to assist the best of the next generation in finishing their work. AM Heath will be working with the publisher John Murray and creative writing charity Arvon.
Hilary put the business of writing fiction so memorably:
| ‘Remember what Orwell says, that good prose is like a windowpane. Concentrate on sharpening your memory and peeling your sensibility. Cut every page you write by at least one third. Stop constructing those piffling little similes of yours. Work out what it is you want to say. Then say it in the most direct and vigorous way you can. Eat meat. Drink blood. Give up your social life and don’t think you can have friends. Rise in the quiet hours of the night and prick your fingertips and use your blood for ink; that will cure you of persiflage.’ |  |
Entry will be online and will be open from 22nd September to 31st December 2025. The first of the biennial prizes will be awarded in early Spring 2026.
The panel of five judges for the inaugural 2026 award will be chaired by the bestselling author Maggie O’Farrell, who also benefited from generous support from other authors when she was writing her debut novel. Her fellow judges are Nicholas Pearson, Hilary’s editor of eighteen years, the actor Ben Miles, who played Thomas Cromwell in the RSC adaptations of Hilary Mantel’s novels Wolf Hall, Bring Up the Bodies and The Mirror and the Light, the script of which he also co-wrote with Hilary, author Chetna Maroo whose debut novel Western Lane was shortlisted for the Booker Prize and author Chigozie Obioma who has twice been a Booker Prize finalist and was a Booker judge in 2021.
 |  |  |  |  |
Results & Awards
The winner and runner-up will be revealed on 23rd March 2026.
The winner will receive a cash prize of £7,500, an offer of representation from AM Heath (at their discretion), 6 hours of mentoring from an agent at AM Heath and an editor at John Murray and a place on an Arvon residential writing course.
The runner-up will receive £2,500, an offer of representation from AM Heath (at their discretion), 6 hours of mentoring from an agent at AM Heath and an editor at John Murray, and a place on an Arvon masterclass.
Please read the Rules and Eligibility sections carefully before entering the competition. Entry implies acceptance of all the rules and failure to comply may result in disqualification.
Eligibility
- The Hilary Mantel Prize is open to writers aged 18 and over resident in Britain (including the Channel Islands and Isle of Man) and Ireland (Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland).
- The prize is for adult longform fiction.
- Entrants who have had other types of books published e.g. poetry, memoir, short stories or non-fiction are eligible.
- Simultaneous submissions to other prizes are allowed but will become ineligible should they be published or receive notification of future publication while the competition is still being judged. Please inform us immediately should your entry be published or win a prize elsewhere.
- Translations into English are eligible provided the source text is the entrant’s own original work and has not been previously published.
- Authors with previous works published abroad in other languages are eligible provided this is their English language debut.
- Entries should not have been published or accepted for publication elsewhere, in print or online.
- You must not be represented by a literary agent at the time of submission. If you receive an offer of representation while your work is under consideration, you must inform us immediately. If you would like to accept this offer, you must withdraw from the competition.
- Entrants must not have previously published a novel or novella. ‘Published’ means work published in print or online, that has been selected or commissioned via an independent editorial process that does not involve the author of the work in question. Authors of self-published novels or novellas will also not be eligible to submit.
- Entrants may only make one submission to the prize.
- If the work is submitted for another prize and has been shortlisted, please inform us immediately.
- Entries must be entirely the work of the entrant, and not written in conjunction with any form of AI, and by submitting you are confirming the work is your own. Any evidence to the contrary will result in disqualification.
- Entries submitted posthumously are not eligible.
General
Please check you are submitting the correct version of your work before uploading as mistakes cannot be rectified later.
Length
15,000 words max, taken from the opening chapter/s (and including any prologues) and a 1,000 word synopsis. (Please note, the 1,000 word limit for the Synopsis is in addition to the 15,000 words.)
Synopsis
The synopsis should be 1,000 words maximum. Begin with a brief summary paragraph, followed by the rest of the synopsis. The 1,000 word limit is for the entire synopsis.
Entries must be submitted online. No email or postal submissions.
Format
Entries should be submitted as Microsoft Word documents (.doc or .docx), or PDF. Entries must be in English.
Judging
The judges’ decision is final. We are unable to comment on individual entries. The Hilary Mantel Prize reserves the right to change the judges without notice.
Copyright
Worldwide copyright remains with the author.
Data Protection
All information including the submissions themselves provided as part of the submissions process will be held confidentially for the sole use of the Prize. On announcement of the winners all material except that of the winner and runner-up will be permanently deleted.
The Hilary Mantel Prize reserves the right to amend these rules where it deems necessary. Any changes to the rules will be posted on the Hilary Mantel page on the AM Heath website.
Finally
If you have a query about eligibility, please contact hilarymantelprize@amheath.com
FAQS
Q1. Are entries anonymous?
A1. No, please submit your name with your entry. A pen name is fine.
Q2. I don’t have an agent. Can I still enter?
A2. Absolutely. This competition is exclusively for unagented authors.
Q3. I’ve previously self-published the manuscript I want to submit. Is that allowed?
A3. No. Self-published work will not be eligible.
Q4. My novel has a prologue. Should I still submit the first 15,000 words?
A4. Please count your prologue as part of your 15,000-word limit.
Q5. Who reads my work? How does the voting and judging process work?
A5. All entries will receive an initial read-through by the Hilary Mantel Prize team to select a longlist of the strongest entries. The five judges will then review the longlist and choose the winning entry and runner-up. The longlist will not be made public.
Q6. Which countries is this competition open to?
A6. This competition is open to writers over the age of eighteen resident in Britain (including the Channel Islands and Isle of Man) and Ireland (Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland).
Q7. Which genres of fiction are eligible?
A7. This competition is focused on finding the best longform adult writing in any genre.
Q8. Is there an entry fee?
A8. No, this competition is free to enter.
Q9. Do you have to be a debut novelist to win this award?
A9. Yes.
Q10. Are the finalists or the winner guaranteed to receive a publication offer from John Murray?
A10. No, although John Murray may consider finalists for publication at their discretion.
Q11. Are the winner or the runner-up guaranteed to receive an offer of literary representation from A M Heath?
A11. AM Heath will have an exclusive right to offer representation to the winner and runner-up at their discretion, up to the date of the awarding of the prize.
Q12. How do I submit my entry to the award?
A12. Please head to the website at amheath.com and click on ‘Hilary Mantel Prize 2025’ for full details and instructions on how to enter.
Q13. Where can I address specific questions about the award?
A13. Please email hilarymantelprize@amheath.com
Q14. Who will sit on the first judging panel for the award?
A14. Authors Maggie O'Farrell (Chair), Chetna Maroo and Chigozie Obioma will serve on the judging panel for the award, alongside actor Ben Miles and Nicholas Pearson from John Murray.