Skip to Content

The 2015 Sunday Times EFG Short Story Award

Information
Closing date: 
26 September 2015
Entry: 
Open to writers of any nationality who can show a previous record of publication in creative writing in the UK and Ireland
Prize: 
First Prize £30,000 and five shortlisted writers will each receive £1,000

The 2015 Sunday Times EFG Short Story Award is the richest in the world for a single short story

Calling for submissions for the 2015 Sunday Times EFG Short Story Award.

One of the world's most prestigious literary prizes is open for submissions again, with the call going out for entries to the 2015 Sunday Times EFG Short Story Award.

Launched in 2009, the award has in its first five years established itself as one of the key events in the literary calendar. Winners of the international competition, which is open to stories of up to 6,000 words written in English, have come from all over the world, and have included the Pulitzer prize-winning American writer Junot Diaz, CK Stead from New Zealand and Kevin Barry from Ireland. Last year's recipient of the award, at a gala dinner in London's Stationers' Hall, was the Pulitzer winner Adam Johnson, who carried off the 2014 trophy for his haunting story Nirvana.

The prize has an immensely rich heritage, with some of the finest writers from America, Britain, Ireland and the Commonwealth appearing on its longlists and shortlists - among them Emma Donoghue, Adam Foulds, Mark Haddon, Sarah Hall, Yiyun Li, Hilary Mantel, Ali Smith, Elizabeth Strout, Graham Swift and Gerard Woodward. It also has a fine record of uncovering new talent, with 27-year-old UEA graduate Anna Metcalfe making the shortlist last year.

The Sunday Times EFG Short Story Award is open to writers of any nationality; entrants just have to show a previous record of publication in creative writing in the UK and Ireland. Entries can either be unpublished, or published within the previous 12 months. Writers have until Friday, September 26, to submit their story.

The judges for this year's award will be announced in September, and will join a remarkable line-up of past panellists. AS Byatt, Melvyn Bragg, John Carey, Nick Hornby, Hanif Kureishi, Andrew O'Hagan, Will Self, Lionel Shriver, Joanna Trollope and Sarah Waters have all been on the prize panel in the past five years.

The longlist for the 2015 award will be announced in February, with the shortlist following in March. The winner will be announced on the evening of Friday, April 24, when the five other shortlisted authors will receive £1,000.

Online entry form

For any queries about the prize, contact Booktrust at 020 8516 2960 and at sundaytimesEFG@booktrust.org.uk

 

Closing date: 
26 September 2015
Entry: 
Open to writers of any nationality who can show a previous record of publication in creative writing in the UK and Ireland
Prize: 
First Prize £30,000 and five shortlisted writers will each receive £1,000