Author Description

Established in 2005, the BBC National Short Story Award with Cambridge University was originally established to highlight a literary genre regarded as undervalued and under threat. It aimed to recognise and celebrate the very best writers of short fiction who had no prize equivalent to major literary awards like the Man Booker Prize. 19 years on, the short story is in robust health and the BBC National Short Story Award is recognised as the most prestigious for a single short story with the winning writer receiving £15,000 and the four shortlisted writers £600 each. Previous Winners: Lucy Caldwell | Sarah Hall | Jan Carson | Ingrid Persaud | Cynan Jones | KJ Orr | Jonathan Buckley | Lionel Shriver