Requirements to Enter Competition

These are the requirements, for both the novel and author, to enter the contest. Make sure you, the author, and your novel meet all these requirements before entering.

1. The novel has to be published on or before January 31st 2025 and be currently available for sale.

2. The novel must be book 1 in a series or possible to read as a standalone.

3. The novel has to be fiction, written in English prose and be a full, completed novel. Anthologies, short story bundles and similar collections will be declined.

4. The novel must be independently/self-published or published by a small independent press. Our definition of small independent press applies to publishers with turnover not exceeding 500K. It cannot be an imprint of a large publishing company. It is the author’s responsibility to ensure publisher and author are in agreement about entry and that all terms and conditions can be met. Any necessary final decisions about your eligibility will be made entirely at our discretion.

5. The novel has to be over 20,000 words.

6. The author must be aged 18 or older at the time of entering.

7. The author may only submit their own work, and not that of another author, and only if they have the correct rights and/or permissions to do so. We are not responsible for any legal consequences. Posthumous submissions are not accepted. 

8. The author is to provide warnings for any potentially sensitive content. This helps us ensure  books are matched as closely as possible to appropriate panelists. Sensitive content can be, but is not limited to: racism, discrimination, misandry/misogyny, abuse be it sexual, physical, mental, animal cruelty etc. We are not responsible for low scoring from our panel if you fail to provide warnings. 

9. The author is to provide all info asked for in the sign-up form, excerpts of the novel and the novel itself when asked for. The author is to provide the excerpts when their entry is confirmed via email prior to the start of the contest. The author is to provide the full novel if they proceed to the final round. The novel and excerpts are to be available in different formats, such as, but not limited to, PDF and ePUB. The digital copies should be formatted to industry standards.

10. Authors currently serving a custodial prison sentence are not eligible to submit.

11. Any novels that were part of the Finals (the last round) in any previous BBNYA are not eligible to enter. 

12. A novel previously submitted and entered in BBNYA that did not make it to the Finals (the last round) is allowed to enter again.

13. Novels which were written wholly or in part by AI are not eligible to enter. 

14. The author agrees to provide the 20 euro non-refundable administration fee when requested. BBNYA prizes and running costs for the competition are self-funded using entry fees.

Please remember that this competition is for authors and publishers who traditionally do not have the amount of resources that bigger names possess. We ask that you do not enter your title if you are a well-known author who has published under other names and/or with bigger publishers.