The Kitschies
The Kitschies reward the year’s most progressive, intelligent and entertaining fiction that contain elements of the speculative or fantastic. We are proudly sponsored by Blackwell’s.
The Kitschies, literature’s most tentacular prize, are pleased to announce that they are open to submissions for books published in the UK in 2022.
The Kitschies rewards the year’s most progressive, intelligent and entertaining books that contain elements of the speculative and fantastic. Kindly sponsored by Blackwell’s, winners receive a total of £2,500 in prize money, as well as one of the prize’s iconic hand-crafted Tentacle trophies.
The 2021 Kitschies winners were Becky Chambers’ The Galaxy And The Ground Within (Red Tentacle) and Hilary Leichter’s Temporary (Golden Tentacle), selected from a shortlist that included Adrian Tchaikovsky, Un-Su Kim, Catriona Ward, Zen Cho, Calvin Kasulke, Everina Maxwell, Caroline Hardarker and Xiran Jay Zhao. Julia Lloyd collected the Inky Tentacle for the cover design of Chana Porter’s The Seep. Comma Press picked up The Glentacle in recognition of their excellent +100 series. Check out Blackwell’s for more details on the books.
Last year, The Kitschies received 198 submissions from over 50 publishers and imprints, including self-published books. The prize is open to both digital and physical submissions.
Please see the https://thekitschies.com/submissions for detailed instructions on how to submit.
About Blackwell’s
Blackwell’s was founded on New Year’s Day 1879, at 50 Broad Street, Oxford. From humble beginnings the company has built a worldwide reputation for unrivalled customer service, specialist knowledge, and a passion for bookselling with sixteen bookshops across the UK, from Aberdeen to Exeter.
Blackwells.co.uk continues to grow rapidly in the UK, and internationally. The online platform is designed and managed in-house and is a cornerstone of Blackwell’s multi-channel strategy. In 2022, The Wordery (Wordery.com) was acquired and bolstered Blackwell’s online offer.
Our flagship shops include Oxford, Manchester, Heffers in Cambridge, which became part of Blackwell’s in 1999, and since 2002 Edinburgh (formerly James Thin).
As the leading academic bookseller in the UK, Blackwell’s has a number of bookshops based on university campuses.
Blackwell’s also has a thriving corporate, professional and institutional business serving both private and public organisations.
Blackwell’s was acquired by Waterstones Booksellers in 2022