The Center for Fiction has announced the shortlist for their annual First Novel Prize, which was judged this year by R. O. Kwon, Kiese Laymon, Jordy Rosenberg, and Danzy Senna. The shortlisted authors will each be awarded $1,000 and the winner, who will be announced in December, will receive $15,000 “in recognition of their contribution to contemporary literature and in support of their ongoing creative career.”

In the meantime, here’s the shortlist:

Emeline Atwood, A Real Animal (Catapult)

Samantha Josephs, Carrying (G. P. Putnam’s Sons)

T Kira Madden, Whidbey (Mariner Books)

Giada Scodellaro, Ruins, Child (New Directions Publishing)

Avigayl Sharp, Offseason (Astra House)

Ankur Thakkar, Blow Yourself Up (TriQuarterly Books)