The BBC National Short Story Award has launched its fifth year. The award is one of the most prestigious for a single short story, with the winning author receiving £15,000. The runner up receives £3,000 and three further shortlisted authors, £500 each.
The closing date for entries was 18th June 2010.
Click here to download the entry form (.pdf 84Kb)
Click here to download the terms and conditions (.pdf 62Kb)
Judges announced for the 2010 prize
A prestigious panel of judges has been announced for the 2010 Award.
This year's panel of judges are: BBC Radio 4 broadcaster James Naughtie (chair), author and Guardian journalist Kamila Shamsie, author and poet Owen Sheers, author Shena Mackay and Editor Readings, BBC Radio, Di Speirs.
James Naughtie, BBC Radio 4 broadcaster and chair of the 2010 judging panel comments:
‘The short story is still a writer's opportunity that offers something distinct, and exciting. The best of them are alive with passion, perfectly crafted to make every word count, and beautiful artefacts that can't be pulled apart. They are also tales for our time. A short story can sit happily on the ear, and on the page, on your phone, or your screen; it travels well and it fits into even the busiest life. I can't wait to read this year's entries, because they seem to get better and better.’
Di Speirs, BBC Radio Editor Readings and 2010 panel judge comments:
'Five years ago there was a very real sense that the short story form was endangered. Year on year since, we have seen a resurgence of interest and commitment to the form
from readers and listeners, and from publishers and authors. More published collections are crossing my desk and every year a broader church of writers recognise and respond to the unique appeal and deceptive simplicity of short fiction. I am personally delighted that the BBC National Short Story Award has played a part in this renaissance and am looking forward again to reading superlative stories from our best established and emerging talent this summer'
The shortlist will be announced in November with the five stories broadcast on BBC Radio 4 each weekday a week before the winner is announced. The five stories will also be published in a special anthology.
Aimed at highlighting the importance of the short story and supporting the genre, the BBC National Short Story Award stands at the heart of a UK-wide campaign — story — that has run alongside the award since 2005. The ambition of both the award and the campaign is to expand opportunities for British writers, readers and publishers of the short story. The award aims to honour the country’s finest exponents of the form. James Lasdun secured the inaugural award for An Anxious Man; last year the poet Kate Clanchy won with The Not-Dead and The Saved. Other authors shortlisted in previous years have included Jackie Kay, William Trevor, Rose Tremain, Clare Wigfall, Naomi Alderman and Lionel Shriver.
BBC Radio 4 is the world’s leading broadcaster of short stories and a staunch and long-time supporter of the form. Short stories are broadcast every week attracting more than a million listeners. The BBC hopes that the award can continue to serve as a reminder of the power of the short story in a literary environment dominated by the novel.
Click here to read about last year's prize
Prize administration
For prize information, please contact the prizes team on 020 8516 2973 or prizes@booktrust.org.uk
