V.S. Pritchett Short Story Prize longlist announced by RSL & ALCS

Thirteen short stories longlisted for the 2024 prize

LONDON, Jan. 25, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The V.S. Pritchett Short Story Prize is an annual award for unpublished short stories between 2,000 to 4,000 words in length. The winner will receive £1,000 and their entry will be published in Prospect magazine online and the RSL Review.

This year's judges, Julia Armfield, Fred D'Aguiar and Juliet Jacques have selected the following:

Michael Byrne – 'Twéo-mann'
Stuart Evers – 'Martinez'
Sarah Featherstone – 'DUST'
Gill Fryzer – 'OFF LIZARD POINT'
Dave Lewis – 'Pachyderm Hiraeth'
Kate Lockwood Jefford – 'A Family Gathering'
Gráinne Murphy – 'What Can You Say'
Alessandra Panizza – 'A Gimmick'
Hannah Persaud – 'Playing Badminton with Plums'
Han Smith – 'aftermorph'
Sharma Taylor – 'The three deaths of Nina Carmichael'
Tom Vowler – 'Voyagers'
Andrew Wilson – 'Woelinam'

NOTES TO EDITORS

History of the Prize

The V.S. Pritchett Short Story Prize was founded by the RSL in 1999 to commemorate the centenary of an author widely regarded as the finest English short story writer of the 20th century. The Prize seeks to preserve a tradition encompassing Pritchett's mastery of narrative. Stories are judged anonymously by a panel of writers. Previous winners have included Kaliane Bradley, Leoor Ohayon, Emily Ruth Ford, Jonathan Tel, Martina Devlin and Carys Davies.

The RSL is grateful to the Authors' Licensing and Collecting Society (ALCS) for supporting this Prize. The RSL is also grateful to Prospect for publishing the winning story online.

The shortlist will be announced Thursday 8 February 2024 and the winner at the ALCS Awards on Thursday 22 February 2024.