The Plaza Literary: First Chapters Prize-winners
Big thanks go to U.S. National Book Award Winner, Jason Mott, for judging our winners and giving them some valuable insights and encouragement. We really appreciate very successful authors paying it back, and helping aspiring writers to improve their work and build a platform to launch a publishing career.
All the comments listed below are Jason Mott’s words. If you haven’t read his novels yet – you are in for a treat. They are extraordinary.
Top 4
1st place: The Bright, Bright World by Jaki McCarrick (IRE)
‘A taut, gripping opening crafted with precision and movement. The characters—as deplorable as they are—grab the reader’s attention and promise to provide both fascination and intrigue. This chapter does what an opening chapter should do: it provides a glimpse into something fascinating and yet, somehow, familiar.’
2nd place: The Book of Tears by Heather Newton (USA)
‘A haunting, well-executed opening chapter full of sharp tone and masterful pacing. There is a rhythm and precision to how this chapter unfolds, each sentence pushing the last forward, compelling the reader through the unfolding world of it characters. This is how books should be written.’
3rd place: Promising Lands by Jeffrey Stephens (USA)
‘A wonderful beginning told through a lens that feels necessary and unique. The perspective offered here is one that reinvents the familiar and reminds us why we like story telling. The sense of family and character is expertly delivered and believable. These characters all feel like real, multi-dimensional people. Excellent writing.’
Highly Commended: The Three Arrows by Tamako Takamatsu (JAP)
‘Historical fiction is notoriously difficult to execute, but the research and conveying of information done here is exceptional. The world of this story feels vivid and alive. The description is sharp and the characters well-defined.’
Shortlisted
‘Brave Translunary Things’ by Claire Thomas Hawnt (ENG)
‘Stray Voltage’ by Karen Garloch (USA)
‘The Calico Girls’ by Phoebe Haws (USA)
‘Mammoth’ by Alex Cassidy (ENG)
‘Vivian Maier Framed’ by Axel Forrester (ENG)
‘Salted Earth’ by Muhammad Bandial (ENG)
Long-listed
‘Nothing Really Happened’ by Lisa Overton (ENG)
‘The Betrothed’ by Jeffrey Stephens (USA)
‘The Gift of Sentience and Sorrows’ by Anthony Streeter (ENG)
‘Yggdrasil’ by Judy Birkbeck (ENG)
‘All the Hollow Places’ by Rebekah Lattin-Rawstrone (ENG)
‘The Plunge’ by Linda Jordan (N.IRE)
‘Siberia’ by Josh Kemp (AUS)
‘The Hexens of Jackson County’ by Robin Lovelace (USA)
‘Heron’ by Alex Reece Abbott (ENG)
‘Daddy Issues’ by David Newdorf (USA)
Congrats to our four winners. With Jaki’s permission (all rights remaining with her) we will be publishing the start of The Bright, Bright World this October in The Plaza Prizes Anthology 2. Very well done indeed to everyone who made the long-and shortlists!
The Plaza Poetry Prize (20 lines max) is OPEN to enter. Judge: Lachlan McKinnon. 1st prize: £1,000 / 1250. Deadline: 30th September 2024.
The Plaza Short Story Prizes (2500 words max) is OPEN to enter. Judge: Jamie Quatro. 1st prize: £1000 / $1250. Deadline: 30th November 2024.