Books / bristol short story prize
Bristol Short Story Prize 2017: call for entries
There are just over two months left to enter this year’s Bristol Short Story Prize. Now in its tenth year, the Bristol-based prize is one of the UK’s most prestigious open writing competitions.
A shortlist of 20 stories will be selected, from which the winning writer and story will be chosen. The winner will receive a £1,000 prize, with £700 and £400 going to those placed second and third respectively. Seventeen further prizes of £100 will be presented to the remaining shortlisted writers. All 20 shortlisted stories will be published in the tenth Bristol Short Story Prize Anthology. The closing date for entries is Wednesday, May 3 2017.
This year’s judging panel is chaired by celebrated Bristol writer and short-story champion Tania Hershman. Tania is joined on the panel by acclaimed writer, Roshi Fernando; Simon Key, owner of the award-winning Big Green Bookshop (when he’s not busy Tweeting Piers Morgan the entire first Harry Potter book) and Juliet Pickering, literary agent at Blake Friedmann.
Last year’s Bristol Short Story Prize winner, Stefanie Seddon, who has recently been signed by the Georgina Capel Associates literary agency, says: “Opportunities like the Bristol Short Story Prize enable writers to feel part of a community, and I think that’s really important when you’re just starting out. Writing can be a lonely business and the Bristol Prize has been incredibly supportive and welcoming. Competitions like this give emerging writers the opportunity to get their work published and seen by people in the industry – and they can be instrumental in finding representation.”
The 2016 Bristol Short Story Prize Anthology, containing Stefanie’s winning story alongside the other 19 shortlisted stories, is available from bookshops and online.
Writers published in previous BSSP anthologies have gone on to further publication and success. Emily Bullock, who was discovered by literary agent Ed Wilson in the fourth anthology, subsequently signed a publishing deal with Myriad Books and saw her debut novel published in April 2015. Danielle McLaughlin, published in BSSP volumes 5 and 7, had her debut collection of short stories published in 2016 by John Murray, while Marli Roode’s (volumes 2 and 3) 2013 debut novel Call it Dog was shortlisted for the prestigious Dylan Thomas Prize.
Full details of this year’s competition can be found at www.bristolprize.co.uk
Top pic: Barbara Evripidou
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