Anna Dempsey Wins Hilary Mantel Prize for Fiction
Anna Dempsey’s novel This Is About an Alligator and Nothing Else, a coming-of-age story set in Florida, has won the inaugural Hilary Mantel prize for fiction. The award, which supports unpublished and un-agented writers, grants £7,500 to the winner.
The prize was established to honour the legacy of the late Booker prize-winning novelist Hilary Mantel and aims to assist unpublished and un-agented writers across the UK and Ireland. Dempsey, originally from Florida and now residing in London, was selected from 2,300 submissions. The runner-up, Uduak-Abasi Ekong, a Nigerian writer based in Manchester, received £2,500 for her novel A Kind of Resurrection.
Prize Background and Support
The Hilary Mantel prize was created following Mantel’s death in 2022 and is supported by her longtime agency, AM Heath. Both Dempsey and Ekong will receive mentoring from an agent at AM Heath and an editor at John Murray. Additionally, Dempsey has been awarded a place on an Arvon Foundation residential writing course, while Ekong will attend an Arvon masterclass.
Bill Hamilton, Mantel’s agent, commented on the diversity of submissions, which were reviewed by readers from AM Heath and John Murray:
“The closer we got to a manageable number to recommend to the judges, the bigger the contrasts in the imagination and style and voices of the writers. Settings from all around the world, everything from satire to the supernatural, from contemporary to ancient myth.”
About the Winning Novel
Dempsey’s novel is set on the edge of the Florida Everglades, focusing on a small town grappling with a water contamination crisis caused by corporate negligence. The story follows a young protagonist who, after her father’s sudden death—officially ruled a heart attack—becomes convinced the company is responsible.
“Winning the inaugural prize is an enormous honour,” said Dempsey. “I find it significant that this award celebrates Mantel’s legacy and that my novel, in its own way, is a tribute to my dad.”
Dempsey began writing the novel shortly after her father’s unexpected death in 2020.
Runner-Up Novel and Judging Panel
Ekong’s A Kind of Resurrection is a psychological horror novel that incorporates West African folklore, blending supernatural elements with themes of emotional trauma.
The judging panel was chaired by bestselling author Maggie O’Farrell and included Mantel’s longtime editor Nicholas Pearson; actor Ben Miles, known for portraying Thomas Cromwell in the RSC adaptations of Mantel’s Wolf Hall series; and novelists Chetna Maroo and Chigozie Obioma.
“Throughout her career, Hilary Mantel cared deeply for novelists making their first steps, and I feel sure she would have wanted to support these two exceptional writers,” said Pearson.
Prize Eligibility and Submission Details
The Hilary Mantel prize is awarded biennially and is open to unpublished and un-agented writers in the UK and Ireland. Entrants submit an extract of 15,000 words for consideration.
