Competition FAQs

PROLOGUES

Question: Are PROLOGUES allowed as part of the submission?

Answer: You can submit a PROLOGUE as part of your entry.

CONFERENCE

Question: Do you have to ATTEND the conference to be eligible for the competition?

Answer: No, you do not have to attend the conference to be eligible for the competition. We will offer free conference tickets to the category winners, but if you cannot attend in person and are a category winner, we can swap that for an online ticket.

Question: ARE TRAVEL AND ACCOMMODATION included with the conference ticket?

Answer: No, they are not included.

ENTRY

Question: Will the competition remain open until 23.59 GMT 17 November 2025, irrespective of the number of entries received? In other words, is there an ENTRY CAP / limited number of entries?

Answer: No, there is no cap on entries.

Question: Can I submit MULTIPLE ENTRIES?

Answer: No, the contest is one entry per person.

Question: Is there an AGE RESTRICTION for the competition?

Answer: Yes, entrants must be 18 years of age or older. We hope to run a competition for young historical fiction writers in the future.

UNPUBLISHED

Question: Is the contest for UNPUBLISHED manuscripts only? Can a manuscript be submitted that will be published sometime during the judging?

Answer: The 2026 First Chapters Competition is for UNPUBLISHED manuscripts only. Chapters should not be previously published in any form and the manuscript should not be under contract for publication.

Question: If your novel was SELF-PUBLISHED, could you still submit it since it wasn’t traditionally published?

Answer: This contest is for UNPUBLISHED MANUSCRIPTS ONLY. Anything previously published is ineligible. This includes self-publishing and the various forms of digital publication that put a work in the public domain.

Question: If a previously published novel has been pulled and EDITED, can it be submitted for this contest?

Answer: No, it cannot. If a novel has been previously published, it does not fit the criteria for this contest.

Question: Is this contest only for previously unpublished writers?

Answer: No, this contest is open to both published and unpublished writers. It is the submission itself that cannot have been previously published.

PREVIOUS COMPETITION ENTRIES/WINNERS

Question: If the submission placed in another contest held by the Historical Novel Society (or any of its branches), can it be submitted to the First Chapter Competition?

Answer: If your submission placed in a contest held by the Historical Novel Society, congratulations! It should not be entered in this contest / into a second contest by the HNS and its branches.

Question: If your submission placed in a contest that is NOT held by the Historical Novel Society, can it be submitted to the First Chapters Competition?

Answer: If your submission placed in a contest NOT held by the Historical Novel Society, congratulations! Submit away.

Question: What does PLACED mean?

Answer: By placed, we consider that to mean it was a “Finalist”, “Top Three” or “Category Winner” or “Overall Winner”, not a “Short List”.

COMPETITION FREQUENCY

Question: Will this be a yearly competition?

Answer: We hope it will be bi-annual but we can’t say for sure. The Historical Novel Society is a not-for-profit organisation. Its activities (magazine, conferences, competition) are funded by membership fees. It has no paid employees and its events are organised by volunteers. We are looking for a sponsor for the next competitions.

FINISHED NOVEL

Question: Does the whole novel have to be finished?

Answer: No, the chapter can be from a work in progress, but you need to submit an 800-word synopsis with your first chapter, so you need to know where the novel is going and what it looks like overall.

CATEGORIES

Question: Which category should I enter in?

Answer: Which category is a judgement call by the author. Knowing what genre you are writing in and who your market might be is part of your job as a writer. The categories are self-explanatory:

Historical Fiction Ancient to 10th century – the main setting takes place during ancient times through to the 10th century.

Historical Fiction 11th to 16th centuries – the main setting takes place 11th to 16th centuries.

Historical Fiction 17th to 19th centuries – the main setting takes place 17th to 19th centuries.

Historical Fiction 20th century – the main setting takes place during the 20th century (and at least 50 years from the present).

Historical Romance – a historical setting where the developing romantic relationship is a main focus.

Historical Crime – a historical setting where a criminal act, murder, mystery or a like event is a main focus.

Biographical Historical Fiction – a fictional account of a historical person’s life.

Historical Adventure – a historical setting where an event or series of events, usually accompanied by danger or physical action, and a fast-paced plot, is a leading driver for the story.

Historical Fantasy, Timeslip, and Alternate History – a historical setting where fantastical elements are introduced and are a focus of the story, or there is a mix of parallel historical and contemporary stories, or a what if version of history.

Historical Children’s or Young Adult – historical fiction where the target audience is children or young adults.

It is possible that the genre categories (e.g., adventure, crime) will receive fewer entries than the general time period categories, but we can’t say that for certain.