The Fabri Literary Prize was created in 2006 to honor Frances Fabri, a Holocaust survivor. Frances Fabri led efforts in the United States to record stories from Holocaust survivors, helping to develop the interview methods now widely used. She respected the skill of storytelling and spent her adult life writing about her experiences in concentration camps and recording oral histories of other survivors. A collection of her short stories, Crickets Would Sing, was published after her death by Plum Branch Press.

Matthew McKay, a psychologist and co-founder of New Harbinger Publications, admired Frances’s courage to share her story. He created The Fabri Literary Prize to find and publish "deserving but underappreciated" works of fiction for general audiences.

The prize is open to unpublished adult novels with diverse themes. Books for children, young adults, or focused on religious topics are not eligible. Each winner receives a publishing contract with a $7,500 advance and a $5,000 marketing budget.

The prize is given once a year. It is managed by Boaz Publishing, and entry deadlines are posted on the Boaz Publishing website. The winning novel is published by Boaz Publishing Company and distributed by New Harbinger Publications.

Each year, judges with experience in the book industry review the entries. The first prize was judged by Jim Krusoe, author of Blood Lake and Other Stories; Tara Ison, author of The List; and Cyndi Hughes, a book editor and producer of the Kansas Book Festival.