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Tena Loveland Russ, from Riverwoods, IL, is the winner of the 2009 James Jones First Novel Fellowship with her manuscript titled After Paradise. 

Michael Schiavone, of Gloucester, MA, is the runner-up winner with his manuscript titled Call Me When You Land. Christine Wade, of New York, is the other runner-up winner with her manuscript titled Seven Locks.

The finalists were...

• D.S. Sulaitis, for the manuscript, A Distraction
• Ashley T. Memory, for the manuscript, Naked and Hungry
• Greg Pierce, for the manuscript, The Ice Pick Job
• Eva Lou, for her manuscript, Orphaned Island

The 18th Annual James Jones First Novel Fellowship...

will be awarded to an American author of a first novel-in-progress, in 2010, by the James Jones Literary Society. Novellas and collections of closely linked short stories may also be considered for the competition.

The award is intended to honor the spirit of unblinking honesty, determination, and insight into modern culture exemplified by the late James Jones, author of From Here to Eternity and other prose narratives of distinction. Jones himself was the recipient of aid from many supporters as a young writer and his family, friends, and admirers have established this award of $10,000 to continue the tradition in his name. Two runner up awards of $750 each will also be given by the Jones Literary Society.

Judges: Kaylie Jones, his daughter and a novelist; J. Michael Lennon, one of his biographers; and Bonnie Culver, Director of Master of Arts in Creative Writing at Wilkes University, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.

Eligibility: The competition is open to United States citizens who have not previously published a novel. Manuscripts may be submitted for publication simultaneously, but the Society must be notified of acceptance elsewhere. Officers of the James Jones Society are not eligible for the award.

Entry Fee: A $25 check/money order, payable to Wilkes University, not to James Jones First Novel Fellowship, must accompany each entry.

Manuscript Guidelines: A two-page (maximum) outline of the entire novel and the first 50 pages of the novel-in-progress are to be submitted.

The manuscript must be typed and double-spaced; outline may be single-spaced. Name, address, telephone number and e-mail address (if available) should be on the title page, but nowhere else on the manuscript. Pages should be numbered.

If a manuscript is selected for the final round, the author will be asked to send another copy of the originally submitted first 50 pages plus pages 51-100. Submissions will be acknowledged only if accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped postcard. No manuscripts will be returned.
Failure to comply with manuscript guidelines may disqualify entries.

For a copy of the press release on the winners, please submit a SASE (to the address listed in the next paragraph) marked "Winners 2008 Contest." The press release will be available in late Fall 2008.

Timetable: Entries are to be sent to the James Jones First Novel Fellowship, c/o M.A./M.F.A.  in Creative Writing, Wilkes University, 84 West South Street, Wilkes-Barre, PA 18766, and postmarked no later than March 1, 2009.

The winner will be notified on or about September 1, 2009. The first-prize winner must accept the award at the James Jones Literary Society Conference held each fall, usually in early November. Transportation funding will be provided. An excerpt from the winning manuscript will be published in Provincetown Arts (July 2010.)

Entries for the 2010 contest will be accepted after October 1, 2009.
For more information, please contact us via e-mail. 


Frequently Asked Questions 

Q: I submitted a manuscript for the 2009 contest. Can I resubmit it for the 2010 contest?
A: Yes, resubmitted manuscripts are accepted.

Q: How many manuscripts are received every year?
A:We usually receive close to 600 manuscripts. 674 manuscripts were submitted to the 2009 contest.
Q: May I enter more than one manuscript?
A: Yes, multiple entries from the same author are allowed, but each submission must be mailed separately along with a $25.00 entry fee for each entry.

Q: I plan on making several revisions to my novel-in-progress. If I am selected as a finalist and have to provide pages 1-100, can I submit my revised version?
A: No. Please keep a copy of the original version you submited to the contest (as well as pages 51-100). All of the judges have to read the same version.