The South Carolina Arts Commission and its literary partners announce a call for submissions for the biennial South Carolina First Novel Prize. The application deadline is Jan. 5, 2010. A winner will be announced in May.

Bret Lott, the author of 12 books, most recently

Ancient Highway (Random House, 2008), is the contest judge. Lott is a former editor of the "Southern Review" and teaches creative writing at the College of Charleston.

Partnering once more with the S.C. Arts Commission and the Hub City Writers Project for this competition are the South Carolina State Library and the Humanities Council SC. The winning author will receive a book contract with the Hub City Writers Project, an award- winning independent press in Spartanburg, S.C. The winner will also receive a $1,000 advance against royalties, and Hub City will publish at least 1,500 hardback copies of the book, including a book for every public library branch in the state.

Brian Ray of Columbia was the winner of the

inaugural novel competition. His book, Through the

Pale Door, was published by Hub City in June 2009 and has been widely and favorably reviewed across

the Southeast, including most recently in the Atlanta

Journal Constitution. Booklist gave it a starred review and called Ray "a talent to watch." The novel is being nationally distributed by John F. Blair Co. of Winston- Salem, N.C.

"Having Hub City as my publisher has proven that two roads really do diverge in a wood, and that taking the less- traveled one pays off," said Ray, who has more than a dozen readings scheduled across the Southeast this fall and will appear at the Decatur Book Festival, the N.C. Literary Festival, and the South Carolina Book Festival. "Other first- time authors have a book published, but with this unique South Carolina literary partnership I've got a book plus a hundred friends and allies who believe in me."

The project is funded in part by Library Services and Technology Act Partnership grant monies administered by the SC State Library and the Institute of Museums and Library Services. For information about First Novel Prize eligibility requirements and application guidelines, call (803) 734- 8696.

About S.C. Arts Commission

The South Carolina Arts Commission is the state agency charged with creating a thriving arts environment that benefits all South Carolinians, regardless of their location or circumstances. Created by the South Carolina General Assembly in 1967, the Arts Commission focuses on increasing public participation in the arts by providing services, grants and leadership initiatives in three areas: arts education, community arts development and artist development. Headquartered in Columbia, S.C., the Arts Commission is funded by the state of South Carolina, by the federal government through the National Endowment for the Arts and other sources. For more information, visit www.SouthCarolinaArts.com.