Previous winner Lucy Caldwell among BBC National Short Story Award 2024 shortlist

The shortlist for the 2024 BBC National Short Story Award with Cambridge University has been announced. This year’s shortlist includes the three-time nominee and 2021 winner of the prize, the Northern Irish playwright and novelist, Lucy Caldwell. 

The five-strong shortlist was announced this evening on BBC Radio 4’s Front Row, with the winner set to be announced live from the awards ceremony on the programme on 1st October at 7.15pm. 

In addition to Caldwell, who won the BBC Short Story award three years ago and the Walter Scott Prize last year, the shortlist also includes another highly decorated British novelist: Ross Raisin, who won the Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year 2005, and Granta Best of Young British Novelist 2013. 

The rest of the shortlist includes memoirist, novelist and short story writer, Will Boast, and finance lawyer, Manish Chauhan, plus former museums and heritage expert, Vee Walker.  

The BBC National Short Story Award was established to raise the profile of the short form, with distinguished alumni including Zadie Smith, Jon McGregor, Hilary Mantel, Rose Tremain and William Trevor. As well as rewarding renowned short story writers, such as Sarah Hall and Naomi Wood, it has raised the profile of newer writers, including Ingrid Persaud, K J Orr, Caleb Azumah Nelson, Jo Lloyd and Cynan Jones. 

The winning author will receive £15,000, and four further shortlisted authors £600 each. The entire shortlist will be broadcast in turn at 3.30pm on between Monday 16th and Friday 20th September on BBC Radio 4 and on demand via BBC Sounds. The stories will also be published in an anthology by Comma Press.   

The 2023 winner of the BBC National Short Story Award was Naomi Wood who won for ‘Comorbidities’, a story examining the difficulty of maintaining love and intimacy in a marriage, from her debut collection, This is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things (Orion). The 2024 winner will be announced live on BBC Radio 4’s Front Row on Tuesday 1st October 2024. 

This year’s judging panel is led by presenter Paddy O’Connell, host of Radio 4’s Broadcasting House and co-host of the weekend edition of the BBC’s popular Newscast podcast. He is joined by novelist and critic, Michael Donkor; memoirist, novelist and filmmaker Xiaolu Guo; former BBC NSSA shortlisted writer and professor of writing at Lancaster University, Jenn Ashworth; and returning judge, Di Speirs, books editor at BBC Audio. 

Speirs said: “I am delighted with our exciting 2024 shortlist. From a roster of serious literary names from different fields (short stories, novels and non-fiction) alongside brand-new talent, we have five stories linked by compassion and understanding.

“The collision of cultures followed by new comprehension has proved an irresistible theme this year with no fewer than three of the stories reflecting this in original, sometimes heart-stopping ways. The need to adapt and make the most of life whatever the difficulties is another recurring motif and makes for life-enhancing reading. Love in many guises permeates the list, alongside Shakespearean themes and Hamlet himself and, for the first time, a story narrated by a dog!” 

The BBC National Short Story Award with Cambridge University 2024 shortlist is:       

The Barber of Erice by Will Boast  

Hamlet, a Love Story by Lucy Caldwell  

Pieces by Manish Chauhan    

Ghost Kitchen by Ross Raisin  

Nice Dog by Vee Walker