Center for Fiction Announces 2023 First Novel Prize Shortlist
The Center for Fiction 2023 First Novel Prize shortlist has been announced. Seven titles were selected from the longlist featuring twenty-five debut novels with U.S. publication dates between January 1, 2023 and December 31, 2023. This year’s judges are Hannah Lillith Assadi, Ayana Mathis, Tochi Onyebuchi, and Deesha Philyaw.
The shortlisted titles are:
- Family Lore by Elizabeth Acevedo (HarperCollins/Ecco)
- Lookout by Christine Byl (Deep Vellum/A Strange Object)
- Pay As You Go by Eskor David Johnson (McSweeney’s)
- Moonrise over New Jessup by Jamila Minnicks (Hachette/Algonquin Books)
- Night Wherever We Go by Tracey Rose Peyton (HarperCollins/Ecco)
- We Are a Haunting by Tyriek White (Astra House)
- Y/N by Esther Yi (Astra House)
The First Novel Prize, first awarded in 2006, was created to honor the best debut fiction of the year. The winner receives a $15,000 prize, and each of the other shortlisted authors receives $1,000. The shortlisted authors will be celebrated at the Center for Fiction First Novel Fête on December 1, and the winner will be announced on December 5 at the Center for Fiction Annual Awards Benefit.
