Do you have an excellent idea for a business book? The Financial Times and McKinsey & Company are offering a £15,000 prize to young authors tackling emerging business themes. The Bracken Bower Prize will be given to a promising young writer with the best proposal for a book about the challenges and opportunities of growth in a chosen area of business.

Named after Brendan Bracken, chairman of the FT from 1945 to 1958, and Marvin Bower, managing director of McKinsey from 1950 to 1967, the Bracken Bower Prize honours their legacy but also opens a new chapter, by asking young writers and researchers to provide a compelling insight into future trends in business, economics, finance or management. 

The £15,000 prize will be awarded to the best book proposal and the three finalists will be invited to attend the FT Business Book of the Year Award ceremony in London in December. All shortlisted authors also win the opportunity to take part in a masterclass with representatives from the publishing industry, who will advise them on how to bring their ideas to the bookshelves.

The Judging Panel:

The judging panel for 2022 will be announced shortly but previous judges have included senior business leaders, academics and literary agents.

Eligibility:

The authors must be over 18 and under 35 years of age. Entries will be accepted from authors who have had books published before, but the proposal itself must be original and must not have been previously submitted to a publisher.

How to Enter:

The closing date for entries is Friday 30 September 2022 at 23:59 (GMT+1/ BST)

Applicants are asked to submit a proposal of no longer than 5,000 words. This should take the form of an essay or an article that conveys the proposed book's argument, scope and style and must include a description of how the finished work would be structured, for example, a list of chapter headings and a short bullet-point description of each chapter.

The complete terms and conditions of entry and frequently asked questions can be found via the FT hosted main website at businessbook.live.ft.com. You can also join the conversation online using the #brackenbower.

Would-be contestants can also register their interest here now and receive exclusive updates, tips and information, including access to the FT’s guide on How to Write a Winning Proposal.