Sunday Submissions: Books Prize for New Immigrant Writing ‘In These Times of Intense Xenophobia’

Restless Books is now looking for the second annual winner of its $10,000 prize for new immigrant writing:

The 2016 winner was Deepak Unnikrishnan’s debut novel Temporary People, set among guest workers in the UAE. Unnikrishnan has lived between the Emirates and the US, and currently teaches at NYU Abu Dhabi.

According to the prize announcement:

The ethos of America is defined by its immigrants. In novels, short stories, memoirs, and works of journalism, immigrants have expanded our sense of what it means to be American. In these times of intense xenophobia, it is more important than ever that these stories reach the broadest possible audience.

The Restless Books Prize for New Immigrant Writing rewards sharp, culture-straddling work by first-time, first-generation authors who addresses American identity in a global age. We can’t wait to read what the new voices of America have to say, and to share it with the world.

This year’s judges are looking for nonfiction submissions, which can “take the form of a memoir, a collection of essays, or a book-length work of narrative nonfiction. Nonfiction submissions must consist of either a complete manuscript, or 100 sample pages plus a detailed proposal that includes a synopsis and an annotated table of contents.”

All submissions must be in English (translations welcome), and candidates must be first-generation residents of the United States. Also, prize candidates must not have previously published a book of nonfiction with a US publishing house.

The deadline for submissions is February 28, 2017.

You can visit the prize page for more details and to submit.