Judging is underway for the inaugural South Carolina First Novel Prize, which received more than 100 entries. The winner and runners-up will be posted on this page sometime prior to June 27, 2008. Distinguished South Carolina-born novelist Percival Everett is judging the contest, which is sponsored by the South Carolina Arts Commission and the Hub City Writers Project.  Everett, author of more than a dozen novels, now lives in Los Angeles, where he is a professor of English at the University of Southern California. A native of Columbia, Everett has won numerous national writing prizes, including the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award and the Academy Award in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

The First Novel Competition is open to South Carolina residents, and the application deadline is Jan. 2, 2008. Partners in the competition include the South Carolina State Library and the Humanities Council SC. The winning author will receive a book contract with the Hub City Writers Project, which guarantees a $1,000 advance against royalties, and Hub City will publish at least 1,200 hardback copies of the book, including a book for every public library branch in the state. 

"It's a great honor to have Percival Everett, whose novels, stories, and poetry are recognized nationally to judge this important competition," said Sara June Goldstein, literary arts coordinator for the SC Arts Commission. "His participation will encourage and highlight the work of many fine fiction writers in South Carolina."  

"The Hub City Writers Project looks forward to publishing the winner of the First Novel Competition and to sharing the work of a deserving SC writer with readers around this state and beyond," said Betsy Teter, executive director of the Hub City Writers Project.

First Novel Competition eligibility requirements and application guidelines.

Or calll (803) 734-8696.