The prize remains the only national literary award to recognise excellence in a published, single-authored short story collection.
The longlist for 2023 showcases a remarkable diversity of styles, themes and narrative techniques, exemplifying the breadth and depth of short fiction from the UK and Ireland.
Billy Cowan, Edge Hill Short Story Prize organiser, said: “The short story is often an underappreciated form of fiction and we’re proud to continue supporting it through the Edge Hill Short Story Prize.
“In the past, the prize has been won by established and emerging authors alike, and we’re excited to see who the next name on that list is going to be.”
The longlist in full is:
- Cat-Brushing and Other Stories Jane Campbell (Riverun)
- This Train is for Jane Bernie McGill (No Alibi Books)
- Love in the Time of Chaos Rosemary Jenkinson (Arlen House)
- Now You See Him Tim Craig (Ad Hoc Fiction)
- Scar Tissue Clare Morgan (Seren)
- Animals at Night Naomi Booth (Dead Ink Books)
- Total Rebecca Miller (Canongate)
- Mammals, I Think We Are Called Giselle Leeb (Salt Publishing)
- The Dog Husband and Other Stories Rose McDonagh (Reflex Press)
- Whirlwind Romance Sam Thompson (Unsung Stories)
The Edge Hill Short Story Prize was founded in 2006 by the world’s first Professor of Short Fiction, Ailsa Cox.
The prize seeks to highlight the diverse voices and exceptional talents of contemporary short story writers.
Synonymous with literary excellence, it draws attention to emerging and established authors alike. Previous winners include acclaimed authors such as Sarah Hall, David Szalay, Tessa Hadley, Kevin Barry and Daisy Johnson.
Over the coming weeks, the longlisted stories will undergo further scrutiny from our panel of judges. A short list will be announced by September, with the winner of the £10,000 prize announced in November.
A £1,000 Reader’s Choice Award will also be presented to one of the shortlisted authors and there will be a £500 prize for the best short story submitted by an Edge Hill University MA Creative Writing student.
Last year’s prize was won by Saba Sams for her debut collection, Send Nudes.
Find out more about Edge Hill’s Department of English and Creative Arts and the courses offered, including BA (Hons) Creative Writing and MA Creative Writing.
July 7, 2023
