Chancellery of the Universities of Paris - Fénéon Literary Prize

Fénéon Literary Prize

You receive a one-off prize of 2,000 EUR to help you continue writing. This amount is confirmed for the 2025 edition and can change from year to year, because it comes from the yearly returns on a legacy left to the former University of Paris. The prize is awarded by the Chancellery of the Universities of Paris, based at the Sorbonne. It has gone to a young author every year since 1949. As the winner, you are also invited to sit on the next year's jury.

Who can apply

• Age: You are 35 or younger at the application deadline.
• Language of the book: You have published a literary work written in French.
• Type of book: It is a novel, a poetry collection, a play or a short-story collection. Historical, scientific and theoretical works do not qualify.
• When it was published: The book came out before the deadline.
• Financial situation: You live in modest circumstances. Financial need is a condition.
• Nationality: Any nationality can apply.

How to apply

You do not apply yourself. Your publisher submits your book for you, uploading a digital dossier and sending 15 bound copies to the Chancellery. The deadline is 19 September, and both parts must arrive by then or the entry is rejected. The jury meets at the Sorbonne and announces its decision in November.

How realistic are your chances?

This is a single national prize for one book a year, so the field is wide and the competition is serious. Several conditions narrow the pool, though: you must be under 36, write in French, publish through a willing publisher and be in genuine financial need. If you clearly fit all of that and your publisher backs your book, a strong literary work is what decides it.