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‘People love to read when they have something interesting that’s not trying to lecture them or put them down,’ editor says

A new novel-writing competition with the theme “America 2076” hopes to inspire new talent, particularly students, to write the next great American work of fiction.

The winning novelist at Ark Press, a new genre fiction publishing company, will receive a prize of $10,000 and have their book published on July 4, 2026. According to editor-in-chief Tony Daniel, that puts it in the top five biggest prizes in America for unpublished fiction.

Daniel told The College Fix that Ark is seeking new talent. Although only one novel will win the competition, multiple entries could receive publishing contracts. Butler added, “This is not a winner-takes-all scenario. We could have multiple happy endings here.”

The theme, “America 2076,” will mark the 300th year since the signing of the Declaration of Independence. However, Ark senior editor D.J Butler clarified in an announcement via X that, “Does that date–2076 mean that you have to write some kind of near-term science fiction novel? Absolutely not. You can interpret the theme ‘America 2076’ any way you want.”

While the contest is open to anyone, the publisher is reaching out in particular to students in creative writing programs.

“I feel like there are so many college students out there who would flower artistically where they might not otherwise by having a go at long-form genre storytelling,” Daniel said.

“Fiction is the one form of writing that engages the whole mind, the emotions, the spirit, and the intellect,” he said. “Telling and listening to stories is the basic way humans process … well, everything. If you want to be a better communicator, read great fiction.”

In recent years, concerns have mounted regarding college students’ reading habits. According to an October article in The Atlantic, the many college professors report a decline in student’s reading ability, as, “Many students no longer arrive at college—even at highly selective, elite colleges—prepared to read books.”

According to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Use of Time Survey, Americans read for 23 minutes per day on average in 2004, but that dropped to 16 minutes in 2022.

Daniel told The Fix in a recent email, “Reading books used to be a big part of American life not so long ago … Plenty of young adults, particularly men, barely read at all.”

“Now so much of contemporary fiction serves a very narrow audience that’s skewed toward niche and often kind of twisted social values. … We know there’s still a readership out there for great long-form storytelling,” he told The Fix.

“People love to read when they have something interesting that’s not trying to lecture them or put them down. We want to deliver that kind of great science fiction, fantasy, and even literary fiction,” Daniel said.

Ark launched in January, and recently signed on bestselling “Monster Hunter International” author Larry Correia as well as Peachy Keenan, a contributor to The Federalist and The American Mind.

Daniel said Ark exists, in part, to restore reading to American life.

He elaborated that “we are dedicated to bringing back the Great American Novel for modern writers and readers… If a reader or author feels canceled or sidelined by book culture, we’re here to be your refuge and source for great reading. ”

Daniel also said that Ark’s motto, “The humans win in the end,” is “a little provocative, since so much of American fiction in the past decade or more, including science fiction and fantasy, has tended to assume that humanity is some sort of blight on the planet and a happy ending is when human nature is either subverted or defeated.”

In contrast, “we want stories with real heroes facing real problems and overcoming those problems by their human courage, cleverness, goodness – all the traits that make human beings fascinating. Those are the kind of stories that stay with you,” he said.

To enter the contest, competitors must submit a complete novel at least 50,000 words long. Submissions are due by Oct. 7.

Ark’s website explains, “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.”

Daniel told The Fix he would encourage prospective authors that, “You’ve got seven months. You can do this!”

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IMAGE CAPTION AND CREDIT: Ark Press promotes a new contest to inspire the next ‘Great American Novel.’ Ark Press

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