The world’s richest and most prestigious prize for short stories, the Sunday Times EFG Short Story award, is open for business.
Worth £30,000 to the winner, the prize (now in its ninth year, and administered by the Society of Authors) has an enviable list of winners that includes the Americans Bret Anthony Johnston, Yiyun Li, Anthony Doerr, Junot Diaz and Adam Johnson (the last three are Pulitzer prizewinners); CK Stead from New Zealand; Kevin Barry from Ireland; and Jonathan Tel from the UK.
The roster of longlisted and shortlisted authors is just as impressive, and features Man Booker winners Hilary Mantel and Graham Swift; Man Booker nominees Adam Foulds, Sarah Hall and Ali Smith; the Pulitzer winner Elizabeth Strout; plus Colum McCann and Mark Haddon.
Generously sponsored since its inception by EFG Private Bank, the award, for a story of 6,000 words or fewer written in English, is open to writers of any nationality. Entrants just have to show a record of publication in creative writing in the UK and Ireland.
Submitted stories can be either unpublished, or published since January 1, 2017, and writers have until Thursday, September 28 to enter. The 2018 winner will be announced at a gala dinner in London in April.
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Full terms and conditions, plus an entry form, can be found at the award’s website, shortstoryaward.co.uk. If you have any queries, write to STEFGqueries@societyofauthors.org. And keep up to date with the award on Twitter at @shortstoryaward and #STEFG.
PREVIOUS WINNERS
2017 Bret Anthony Johnston Half of What Atlee Rouse Knows about Horses
2016 Jonathan Tel The Human Phonograph
2015 Yiyun Li A Sheltered Woman
2014 Adam Johnson Nirvana
2013 Junot Diaz Miss Lora
2012 Kevin Barry Beer Trip to Llandudno
2011 Anthony Doerr The Deep
2010 CK Stead Last Man’s Season