"I can see the green light, I can see it in your eyes"

FLORENCE WELCH

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THE GREEN LIGHT AWARD

an Inkandescent prize for fiction

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The Green Light Award is Inkandescent’s first prize for fiction — a new platform for bold, original voices in fiction.

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For this inaugural year, we are seeking unpublished novels in commercial genre fiction: work that is gripping, imaginative, and unafraid to push boundaries. In future years, the focus of the prize may evolve — towards literary fiction, environmental writing, coming-of-age stories, or other forms. What will not change is our commitment to championing underrepresented writers.

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We believe that powerful storytelling exists beyond the traditional gatekeepers of publishing — and that new voices deserve not only to be heard, but to be brought fully into the world.

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The winning writer (or writers) will receive a royalty-based publishing contract with Inkandescent, alongside full editorial development and support. Their book will benefit from UK-wide paperback distribution via BookSource, and international eBook distribution through Faber Factory, with the potential for audiobook production.

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Inkandescent will also retain the opportunity to develop and represent subsidiary rights, including film, television, and stage adaptation, with a view to expanding each work’s reach across different audiences and platforms.

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To celebrate publication, we will host a launch event in central London, introducing the newly “green lit” books — and their authors — to readers, industry professionals, and the wider cultural community.

 

So we ask:

• Have you written a working-class, page-turning thriller?

• A queer love story with an edge of danger?

• A strange or speculative novel that refuses to fit the mould?

• Something dark, daring, or impossible to categorise?

 

Could you be the next Patricia Highsmith? The next Walter Mosley? The next Val McDermid? Or someone entirely new? You!

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We are looking for bold, imaginative, and compelling long-form work from writers whose voices are underrepresented in publishing. We are drawn to writing that takes risks, challenges expectations, and opens doors to new worlds. This is not just a prize — this is a real publishing pathway.

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"If you help elect more gay people, that gives a green light to all who feel disenfranchised,

a green light to move forward." 

HARVEY MILK​​

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​ENTRY GUIDELINES

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• Submissions must be full-length novels between 40,000 and 90,000 words

• In the first instance, submit a one page synopsis of your novel, and the opening 5,000 words. 

• If your entry is longlisted, we will request the rest of your novel.  

• Entries must be previously unpublished

• Simultaneous submissions are permitted, but please notify us if your work is accepted elsewhere

• Writers may submit one manuscript per entry

• All entries must be written in English. We welcome submissions from writers based anywhere in the world

• We must receive your entry before the closing date: XX/XX/XXX

• Send us your entry by clicking the green light bulb at the bottom of the page. 

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“Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us.” 

F SCOTT FITZGERALD

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WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR

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We are open to a wide range of genre fiction, including (but not limited to):

• Horror

• Weird fiction

• Thriller / noir / crime

• Speculative fiction

• Science fiction

• Fantasy

• Adventure

• Romance

• Erotic thriller

 

We are especially interested in work that contains an element of the strange, the magical, the impossible. Whether grounded or otherworldly, we are drawn to writing that is:

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• well-crafted and distinctive

• story-driven and entertaining

• dark, macabre, or unsettling

• imaginative and speculative

• experimental or unconventional

• transgressive, digressive, or difficult to categorise​

 

Above all, we are looking for stories that stay with us.

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"If there’s a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.” 

TONI MORRISON

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WHO SHOULD ENTER

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The Green Light Award is dedicated to supporting writers from underrepresented backgrounds, including but not limited to:

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• LGBTQ+ writers

• Writers from Black and Brown communities

• Writers from working-class or financially disadvantaged backgrounds

• Neurodivergent writers

• Writers from underrepresented regions within the UK and beyond

 

If you feel your voice is not widely represented in publishing, this prize is for you.

 

 

“Let’s move from ‘No’ to ‘How’." 
ZACK POLANSKI

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THE PRIZE

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• Publication with Inkandescent

• Full editorial development and support

• A cash prize (amount to be confirmed)

• The Green Light Award trophy

• A book launch in a central London location

 

Our aim is to bring exceptional new work into the world and support writers at a crucial stage in their careers.

 

 

ENTRY FEES

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Inkandescent is a small independent publisher, supported in part by public funding and sustained by a dedicated team who often contribute their time and expertise alongside other commitments voluntarily. We are committed to paying our editors, readers, and staff as fairly as possible. In order to do this — and to ensure that we can read submissions with the care and attention they deserve — we charge an entry fee. We recognise that fees can be a barrier. It's £25 to enter the competition but we have a limited number of discretionary complementary submission entries. A free entry to The Green Light Award will be treated equally to a paid entry, giving the holder the same chance of winning. If you wish to apply for a free entry, please contact us here. 

 

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SUBMISSION CRITERIA

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• Manuscripts should be submitted as a Word document or PDF

• Use Times New Roman font, 12pt

• Double-spaced, with numbered pages

• The title of the piece should be displayed in the header of every page

• Include a title page only — the manuscript itself should be anonymous

• Filenames should be the title of your book and the title of you book — synopsis

• Do not include your own name ion the filename (manuscripts should be anoynmous)

• Please do not include your name within the body of the manuscript

 

Submit via the link below.

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RESPECT AND INCLUSION

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• We welcome bold, challenging, and complex writing, including work that explores difficult themes, controversial perspectives, or morally ambiguous characters. Literature has always been a space to examine the world in all its complexity (from To Kill a Mockingbird onwards).

• However, Inkandescent operates a zero-tolerance approach to bigotry. We will not accept submissions that promote or endorse hatred or bigotry, including but not limited to discrimination based on race, gender, religion, nationality, disability, sexual orientation, or age.

• We reserve the right to disqualify any submission that we believe to be harmful in its intent or impact.

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TERMS & CONDITIONS

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• Entries must be the original work of the author

• The work must not be currently under contract or previously published in full

• By entering, you grant Inkandescent the right to read and assess your work for the purposes of the competition

• Copyright remains with the author at all times

• The judges’ decision is final, and no correspondence can be entered into

• Inkandescent reserves the right not to award the prize if no suitable manuscript is identified

 

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FINAL NOTE

We believe that great stories can come from anywhere — and that too many voices have historically been denied the opportunity to be heard. The Green Light Award exists to change that.

The signal is live.
The light is green.
Go!

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