Guardian and 4th Estate launch prize for BAME writers

The Guardian newspaper has teamed up with 4th Estate to launch a prize for short stories by BAME writers.

The prize is open to black, Asian, minority ethnic writers living in the UK and Ireland aged 18 and above. The winner will receive £1,000 and their story will be published on the Guardian website.

The judges are author Nikesh Shukla, Buzzfeed culture editor Bim Adewunmi, Waterstones’ head of books Melissa Cox, writer Bernardine Evaristo, 4th Estate editor Anna Kelly and Guardian women’s editor Nosheen Iqbal.

Speaking at The Bookseller's Author Day conference last year, Shukla said publishing should be as “demographically representative as possible” in a bid to tackle diversity.

He also said people in the industry needed to be “less defensive” about calls for more diversity. “We all have a collective responsibility to change things. It’s not your fault, it’s the industry’s fault, but we’re all responsible for that industry while we want to be a part of it.”

To enter the Guardian and 4th Estate BAME Short Story Prize, applicants must upload a story of up to 8,000 words, including the title and author name, to the 4th Estate website by 15th April.

The shortlist will be announced on May 9th, and the winner on the 20th of June.