The PEN/Hemingway Award for Debut Novel is given each year to a full-length novel or book of short stories written by an American author who has not previously published a full-length fiction book. The award is named after Ernest Hemingway and is supported by the Hemingway family and the Ernest Hemingway Foundation/Society. PEN America manages the award. Mary Welsh Hemingway, a member of PEN, started the award in 1976 to honor her husband and to recognize outstanding first books of fiction.
The winner is chosen by a group of three well-known fiction writers and receives a cash prize of $25,000. In addition to the winner, two finalists and two runners-up receive a Ucross Residency Fellowship at the Ucross Foundation, a retreat for artists and writers located on a 22,000-acre (89 km²) ranch in Ucross, Wyoming. The award ceremony takes place at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston, Massachusetts.
The award presentation is partially sponsored by the JFK Presidential Library. This award is one of many PEN awards given by PEN International in more than 145 centers around the world.