The VCU Cabell First Novelist Award is an American literary award for debut novels. It has been presented annually since 2002 on behalf of Virginia Commonwealth University's MFA in Creative Writing Program.
Nominations are solicited from MFA programs nationwide as well as from publishers, editors, agents, and writers. The prize includes $5000 cash and participation in an on-campus event in Richmond, Va. at VCU that focuses on the creation, publication, and promotion processes involved with a first novel. The award is more formally known as the "Virginia Commonwealth University Cabell First Novelist Award."