Amazon has opened its sixth annual Breakthrough Novel Award contest, dropping Penguin as its traditional publishing partner and using Amazon Publishing instead. In addition, the contest now includes categories for five genres: general fiction, romance, mystery/thriller, science fiction/fantasy/horror and young adult fiction.
Submit early, the contest will close after 10,000 entries. The grand prize winner will get a publishing contract and a $50,000 from Amazon Publishing. Four other first prize winners will also get a publishing contract and a $15,000 advance. Click here to read the fine print about the book contract and royalties at this link.
Publishers Weekly has joined the contest as well, delivering “full-manuscript reviews” for all the semi-finalists.

Read the Official Contest Rules for all the details, but here are the key submission points:
1) Prepare a strong pitch. More than a summary, your pitch should highlight your concept, protagonist, setting and writing style—all the elements that make your story unique. View sample pitches from past entrants.
2) Select the Genre that best fits your book: General Fiction, Romance, Mystery/Thriller, Science Fiction/Fantasy/Horror, or Young Adult.
3) Stay within the word-count limits — pitch, up to 300 words; excerpt, 3,000 to 5,000 words; manuscript, 50,000 to 150,000 words.
4) Remove all identifying information from your pitch, excerpt and manuscript, including: your name and/or pen name, contact information, any awards received for your book and an author bio/resume.