BBC National Short Story Award

The BBC National Short Story Award celebrates the best of the contemporary British short story. Now in its fourth year, the Award continues to raise the profile of the short story.

The inaugural Award went to James Lasdun for his short story An Anxious Man; in 2007 it was awarded to Julian Gough for his comic tale The Orphan and the Mob; and in 2008 the winner was Clare Wigfall for Numbers which appeared in her debut collection, The Loudest Sound and Nothing, published by Faber in 2007.

This year´s winning author will receive £15,000, the runner up £3,000, and the other three short listed stories will each be given £500. The Award is funded by the BBC and administered in partnership with the Booktrust.

The short story continues to hold its own on Radio 4, and is enjoying a resurgence in print. The Award aims to maintain the genre´s prestige across the literary world.

Last year the Award attracted over 600 submissions. The five shortlisted stories will be broadcast on BBC Radio 4 each afternoon from Monday 30th November to Friday 4th December. In showcasing the Award BBC Radio 4 promises a week of outstanding storytelling, demonstrating the BBC´s continued commitment to the short story.

The 2009 BBC National Short Story Award was launched at Broadcasting House on Thursday, 26th March.

Broadcaster Tom Sutcliffe chairs the panel of judges for 2009, which also includes award winning writers, Margaret Drabble (CBE and DBE), writer Helen Dunmore, singer songwriter Will Young, and Di Speirs (BBC Radio 4).

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