The Center for Fiction First Novel Prize is an annual award given by the Center for Fiction, a nonprofit group in New York City, to the best first novel. From 2006 to 2011, the prize was named the John Sargent, Sr. First Novel Prize, honoring John Turner Sargent, Sr. From 2011 to 2014, it was called the Flaherty-Dunnan First Novel Prize, named after Center for Fiction board member Nancy Dunnan and her father, Ray W. Flaherty, a journalist.

Publishers submit English-language books written by authors who have never published a novel before. The prize has a two-step selection process. First, a group of book lovers (called Common Readers), including librarians, writers, staff, members, and friends of the Center for Fiction, read the nominated books and create a long list of recommended titles. Next, this long list is sent to a group of respected American writers, who choose a short list of five to seven books. This short list is announced publicly in late summer. All finalists are invited to read from their books at an event called the First Novel Fête. The winner is announced at an awards ceremony, which usually happens in December. The winning author receives $10,000, and each finalist receives $1,000.