Programs

Award Criteria

In the spirit of Atticus Finch, the prize is awarded annually to a published work of
fiction that best illuminates the role of lawyers or the legal system in society.
The work must be:
• a published book-length work of fiction
• published originally in 2012
• 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unpublished manuscripts may not.

The deadline to receive entries is April 5, 2013.
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 June 2013.
• The finalists will be submitted to the prize selection committee for judging.
• Members of the public will have the opportunity to vote for their favorite
among the finalists on the ABA Journal website, and the winner of the public
vote will be considered during the prize selection process.
The winner will be honored at the 3rd annual Harper Lee Prize ceremony event,
scheduled for September 19, 2013.

The Winner

The winner will be:
• announced on the ABA Journal and Harper Lee Prize websites
• honored at the Harper Lee Prize award ceremony, held in conjunction with the Library of Congress National Book Festival in Washington, D.C. on September 19, 2013
• entitled to paid airfare for two and hotel accommodations during the National Book Festival
• 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.
In addition:
• an excerpt from the winning book may be published in the ABA Journal.
• the book may be sold on the ABABooks.com website if it is selected as a finalist or winner.

Harper Lee Prize Entry Form