2020 Award Criteria
The prize is awarded annually to a published work of fiction that best illuminates the role of
lawyers in society and their power to effect change.
The work must be:
- A published book-length work of fiction
- Published originally in 2019
- Readily available to readers via commercial sources (retail or online
bookstores such as Barnes & Noble, Amazon, or iTunes) - An electronically published work with an ISBN may be submitted but unpublished manuscripts may not.
- Must be written by an author who has not previously won the prize
Entry Rules
Please submit this original, signed form, along with 14 copies of the book (or for titles published
as e-books only, a digital file we may duplicate for the judges) to:
Harper Lee Prize
University of Alabama School of Law
101 Paul Bryant Drive
Tuscaloosa, Alabama 35401
The deadline to receive entries is March 31, 2020. There is no entry fee.
Selection Process
After the entries close, a panel will review the entries and select three finalists, to be announced in May 2020.
- The finalists will be submitted to the prize selection committee for judging.
- The winner will be honored at the Harper Lee Prize ceremony.
Publisher and Author Agreement
By signing this entry form, the publisher and author of the entered work agree that:
- The title, author, and cover image of the book may be used in conjunction with Prize publicity.
- The author will attend the Harper Lee Prize award ceremony.
The Winner
The winner will be:
- Announced in national Harper Lee Prize advertisements
- Honored at the Harper Lee Prize award ceremony
- Given a copy of the 50th Anniversary Edition of To Kill a Mockingbird signed by Harper Lee
- Entitled to use the Harper Lee Prize logo on the cover of the winning book
- Entitled to identify the book as the Prize winner in other promotional materials
By publisher signature below, the author and publisher agree to these terms of entry. Unsigned entries will not be considered.
For questions about the Harper Lee Prize, please contact Monique Fields at mfields@law.ua.edu or (205) 348-5195.
Previous Winners
- 2011 John Grisham, The Confession
- 2012 Michael Connelly, The Fifth Witness
- 2013 Paul Goldstein, Havana Requiem
- 2014 John Grisham, Sycamore Row
- 2015 Deborah Johnson, The Secret of Magic
- 2016 Attica Locke, Pleasantville
- 2017 James Grippando, Gone Again
- 2018 C.E. Tobisman, Proof
- 2019 Sharon Bala, The Boat People