The Ark Prize

America 2076

AMERICA IS BACK…

And to celebrate her 250th, Ark Press is bringing back the Great American Novel, giving the Land of the Free the literature she deserves—and exporting our freedom-loving, frontier-taming brand of storytelling to the rest of the globe.

And WE WANT YOU to write it!

Send us your best science fiction, fantasy, political or espionage thrillers. Send us your alternate histories, literary novels, and crime fiction brainteasers. Send us whatever your Red-, White-, and Blue-blooded imagination can conjure. But don’t send us your tired, poor, huddled masses of warmed-over trunk stories. 

Novels only, by the way. We want stories as big as the Great Plains, the Rocky Mountains, Teddy Roosevelt’s grin. Stories the size of Texas and Alaska—put together! Stories so expansive they reach from sea to shining sea and so deep they fill the Grand Canyon.

Your Theme: AMERICA 2076

Your Reward: $10,000 advance and publication July 4, 2026 

The nitty gritty:

• Contest runs March 8, 2025 until October 7, 2025.
• Novels must be complete at 50,000 words or more. Partial manuscripts will not be considered.
• All manuscripts must be accompanied by an Ark Press Novel Treatment. (See below for more information on how to write an Ark Press Novel Treatment.)
• Novels must be written in American English.
• Genre: Science fiction, fantasy, thrillers, alternate history, historical fiction, mysteries and crime novels, techno-thrillers, spy novels, satire, and yes, even literary fiction.
• The theme of the contest is "America 2076," celebrating the 300th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. How that is interpreted is up to you.
• Youthful protagonists are okay, but we do not publish middle grade or children’s fiction.
• Previously published manuscripts will not be considered.
• Your novel does not have to be pro-American ... but the winner will be.
• For more guidance, consult the United States Declaration of Independence!

How to Write an Ark Press Novel Treatment

In order to present your novel in the best possible manner, Ark has adopted a novel treatment format that we request you follow.

The goal of the treatment is to present a clear, compelling vision of your project as well as its potential readership and market—and to give us a feel for your talent and skill for telling a story. This is not dissimilar to the standard query letter and synopsis, but there are key differences.

Ark treatments should be no more than 2,500 words long and should ideally be somewhere in the 1,000 – 1,500-word range, exclusive of the writing sample. The 2,500 maximum is not a hard cap but a guideline. Word count suggestions for each part are offered below to give you an idea of what to do, but are only suggestions.

The Overview (200 words):

A concise, vivid introduction that draws us into the world of your book. Present the concept, main characters or central figure(s), essential conflict, and general setting. The overview should provide a hook that sparks immediate interest without overwhelming detail. Tell us how the book ends.

The Story Summary (800 - 1800 words):

A start-to-finish narrative breakdown of your book’s story in a compelling, engaging manner. We do not want an outline. Draw us into the world and events of your story as if you were telling it directly to readers.

Some things to keep in mind to present this material to us in the best light possible:

• Show, Don’t Tell: Avoid exposition. Instead, let us infer key details about the plot, characters, and setting through context.
• Include the Ending: Conclude your book essay with the resolution of the novel. Clearly explain how the book ends and how the major story arcs are resolved. Avoid teasers or open-ended statements.
•  Depict Motivations and Stakes: Clearly convey your protagonist’s motivations and what is at stake for him. Do the same for your major antagonist—what drives him, and what are the consequences of his success or failure?
• Highlight Your Worldbuilding: As you describe the events of the story, depict the setting and milieu. If this is a science fiction or fantasy novel, provide a brief but vivid explanation of the new technology or magical system and how the story depends on it.
• Elucidate with Details: Consider incorporating dialogue from the book that reveals character motivations and highlights key moments. Describe specific scenes to give a sense of how the story unfolds and how you write action, emotion, and setting. Use these examples to immerse the reader in your narrative style.

Length of Book: State the book’s word count.

Comp Titles (200 words):

Compare your book to three to five successful titles published within the past five years or so, explaining how it aligns with and differs from them. It would also be a great idea to show how the book appeals to male readers who love deeply imagined stories in the tradition of Great American Novels of yore, whatever the genre. This is our editorial focus at Ark Press.  

Author Biography (50 – 100 words):

A concise, relevant introduction to who you are professionally. Highlight previous publications, research, professional experience, or personal expertise. If you’ve won awards, built a platform, or have credentials that will help market the book, this is the place to tell us.

Marketing and Publicity (50 – 100 words);

If you have an existing platform, let us know! Outline your social media presence, newsletter subscribers, professional networks, etc., in detail with numbers. We are potentially partnering in a business venture with you, after all—your novel.

Potential Endorsements (50 – 100 words):

Include a list of authors, influencers, or eminences you personally know who might endorse the book—that is, who will provide short blurbs of praise. If you do not have any, that is fine.