The prize is hosted jointly by Lescroart and the University of California, Davis English Department.
The prize is a gift from Lescroart in honor of his father, Maurice, for whom the contest is named.
[citation needed] It is awarded for the best sustained work of fiction (a novel, novel in stories, or other sustained book-length prose fiction form) submitted by alumni who have not yet published or had a book-length manuscript in fiction accepted for publication by the contest deadline.
Literary merit is the predominant criterion in selecting the winning entry.
It is Lescroart's hope to inspire UC Davis graduates to publish their literary work.