Booth, Miller and McGill longlisted for Edge Hill Short Story Prize

The longlist for this year’s Edge Hill Short Story Prize has been announced, with collections by Naomi Booth (Animals at Night, Dead ink Books), Rebecca Miller (Total, Canongate) and Bernie McGill (This Train is for Jane, No Alibi Books) in contention.

Founded in 2006 by the world’s first professor of short fiction, Ailsa Cox, the prize seeks to highlight the diverse voices and exceptional talents of contemporary short story writers. Previous winners include authors such as Sarah Hall, David Szalay, Tessa Hadley, Kevin Barry and Daisy Johnson. Last year’s prize was won by Saba Sams for her debut collection Send Nudes (Bloomsbury).

Also in the running are: Jane Campbell for Cat-Brushing and Other Stories (riverrun); Rosemary Jenkinson for Love in the Time of Chaos (Arlen House); Tim Craig for Now You See Him (Ad Hoc Fiction); Clare Morgan for Scar Tissue (Seren); Giselle Leeb for Mammals, I think We Are Called (Salt Publishing); Rose McDonagh for The Dog Husband and Other Stories (Reflex Press); and Sam Thompson for Whirlwind Romance (Unsung Stories).

A shortlist will be announced by September, with the winner of the £10,000 prize announced in November. A £1,000 Reader’s Choice Award will also be presented to one of the shortlisted authors and there will be a £500 prize for the best short story submitted by an Edge Hill University MA Creative Writing student.

Dr Kim Wiltshire, programme leader for creative writing, said: “The short story is often an underappreciated form of fiction and we’re proud to continue supporting it through the Edge Hill Short Story Prize. In the past, the prize has been won by established and emerging authors alike, and we’re excited to see who the next name on that list is going to be.”