I came across this today in the reader and wanted to share it with all of our awesome talent out there:

Ernest J. Gaines Award

The Baton Rouge Foundation of Baton Rouge, La., is seeking nominations for the 2009 Ernest Gaines Book Award, a literary prize honoring the Louisiana native who wrote “The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman.” Included is a $10,000 cash prize.

Nominees must be book-length works of fiction, published during the calendar year 2008 and written by an African American. (Authors must be U.S. citizens.) Self-published novels are eligible for consideration.

Deadline for submissions is April 30

To enter a book for review, send the completed registration form and 10 copies of the book to:
The Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence
c/o The Baton Rouge Area Foundation
402 N. Fourth Street
Baton Rouge, LA 70802

Check the Ernest J. Gaines Award website for more details. Let us know if you enter so we can enjoy the novel too!