• The Sunday Times and Audible renew their successful union after a record-breaking year for the world’s richest short story prize
• Now accepting entries from publishers, agents and authors via www.shortstoryaward.co.uk
  

Audible, the leading provider of audio storytelling, will once again sponsor The Sunday Times Audible Short Story Award in 2021, after last year’s prize attracted a record number of eligible entries from 48 countries and six continents.

Entries are now open to the world’s richest and most prestigious prize for an English-language single short story. In its 11-year history, the Award has attracted some of the finest literary talent from around the world, including Hilary Mantel, Elizabeth Strout and Sally Rooney.

Andrew Holgate, literary editor of The Sunday Times said: “Last year was a memorable one for The Sunday Times Audible Short Story Award with a record 983 eligible entries and more countries represented than ever before. We’re thrilled with our growing relationship with our partner and sponsor Audible, and excited by our new digital initiatives including Writers’ Picks, in which some of the world’s great authors take to video to tell us about their favourite short stories. Last year’s winner Niamh Campbell proved once again how good the blind-judged award is at discovering new talent, and we’re really looking forward to expanding even further this year.”

The Sunday Times Audible Short Story Award is worth £30,000 to the winner, with the shortlisted authors receiving £1,000 each. The shortlisted stories are also showcased in an exclusive audiobook anthology produced by Audible.

Previous winners of the award include three Pulitzer Prize-winning American authors - Junot Díaz, Anthony Doerr and Adam Johnson - as well as Chinese-American novelist Yiyun Li, CK Stead from New Zealand, Jonathan Tel from the UK, Bret Anthony Johnston and Courtney Zoffness from America, and Kevin Barry and Danielle McLaughlin from Ireland. Shortlisted authors include Colum McCann, Petina Gappah, Hilary Mantel, Emma Donoghue, Elizabeth Strout, Ali Smith, David Vann, Gerard Woodward, Curtis Sittenfeld and Miranda July. The 2020 winner was Irish writer Niamh Campbell.

As well as its notable list of winners and shortlistees, one of the features of the prize has been its distinguished list of judges, who have included Sebastian Faulks, Tessa Hadley, Joanna Trollope, Richard Eyre, Lionel Shriver, AS Byatt, Nick Hornby, Hanif Kureishi, Mark Haddon, Aminatta Forna, David Baddiel, Sarah Hall, Rose Tremain, Sir Melvyn Bragg, Kit de Waal, Carys Davies and John Carey.

The judges read the entries ‘blind’, without knowing the author’s identity. The success of past judging panels has seen the Award celebrate not only the work of literary giants, but has allowed it to discover and promote new and emerging talent such as Jessie Greengrass, Sally Rooney, Roshi Fernando, Rebecca F John, Courtney Zoffness, Danielle McLaughlin and last year’s winner Niamh Campbell.

The judges this year will be looking for an outstanding English-language story of 6,000 words or under from a fiction author from anywhere in the world who has been published in the UK or Ireland. The deadline for entries is Friday 4 December 2020. The winner will be announced on 8 July 2021.