The Sunday Times Short Story Award also known as the Sunday Times EFG Short Story Award and later the Sunday Times Audible Short Story Award, was a British literary award for a single short story open to any novelist or short story writer from around the world who was published in the UK or Ireland. The winner received £30,000, and the five shortlisted writers each received £1,000.[1] A longlist of 16 was also announced. The award was established in 2010 by The Sunday Times newspaper with backing by EFG Private Bank. In 2019, award sponsorship changed to Audible,[2] which withdrew its sponsorship after the 2021 award.[3] It has been called the richest prize in the world for a single short story.[4]

Sunday Times Short Story Award
Awarded forBest short story published in the UK
Sponsored byEFG Private Bank
Audible
CountryEngland
Hosted byThe Sunday Times
Reward(s)£30,000
First awarded2010
Last awarded2021

Another major single-short-story award in the UK is the BBC National Short Story Award, which was called the richest prize in the world for a single short story at £15,000 in 2008,[5] however, as of 2013, The Sunday Times award was twice as large.

The Bookseller reported in July 2022 that the prize was "in danger of being discontinued" as Audible had withdrawn their sponsorship the previous year. At that time Andrew Holgate, literary editor of the Sunday Times, said that the prize had had to be delayed for a year as no replacement sponsor had been found.[3]

Winners and shortlisted nominees

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Sunday Times Short Story Award winners and shortlists
Year Author Title Result Ref.
2010 C. K. Stead "Last Season's Man" Winner [6][7][8]
Will Cohu "Nothing but Grass" Shortlist
Joe Dunthorne "Critical Responses to My Last Relationship" Shortlist
Adam Marek "Fewer Things" Shortlist
David Vann "It's Not Yours" Shortlist
2011 Anthony Doerr "The Deep" Winner [9][10]
Will Cohu "East Coast – West Coast" Shortlist
Roshi Fernando "The Fluorescent Jacket" Shortlist
Yiyun Li "The Science of Flight" Shortlist
Gerard Woodward "The Family Whistle" Shortlist
2012 Kevin Barry "Beer Trip to Llandudno" Winner [11][12]
Emma Donoghue "The Hunt" Shortlist
Linda Oatman High "Nickel Mines Hardware" Shortlist
Jean Kwok "Where the Gods Fly" Shortlist
Tom Lee "The Current" Shortlist
Robert Minhinnick "El Aziz: Some Pages from His Notebook" Shortlist
2013 Junot Díaz "Miss Lora" Winner [13][14]
Mark Haddon "The Gun" Shortlist [15]
Sarah Hall "Evie" Shortlist [15]
Cynan Jones "The Dig" Shortlist [15]
Toby Litt "Call It 'The Bug' Because I Have No Time to Think of a Better Title" Shortlist [15]
Ali Smith "The Beholder" Shortlist [15]
2014 Adam Johnson "Nirvana" Winner [16][17]
Tahmima Anam "Anwar Gets Everything" Shortlist [18][19]
Marjorie Celona "Othello" Shortlist [18][19]
Anna Metcalfe "Number Three" Shortlist [18][19]
Elizabeth Strout "Snow Blind" Shortlist [18][19]
Jonathan Tel "The Shoe King of Shanghai" Shortlist [18][19]
2015 Yiyun Li "A Sheltered Woman" Winner [20][21]
Rebecca John "The Glove Maker's Numbers" Shortlist [22]
Elizabeth McCracken "Hungry" Shortlist [22]
Paula Morris "False River" Shortlist [22]
Scott O'Connor "Interstellar Space" Shortlist [22]
Madeleine Thien "The Wedding Cake" Shortlist [22]
2016 Jonathan Tel "The Human Phonograph" Winner [23][24]
Alix Christie "The Dacha" Shortlist [25][26]
Petina Gappah "The News of Her Death" Shortlist [25]
Colum McCann "What Time Is It Now, Where You Are?" Shortlist [25]
Edith Pearlman "Unbechert" Shortlist [25]
Nicholas Ruddock "The Phosphorescence" Shortlist [25][26]
2017 Bret Anthony Johnston "Half of What Atlee Rouse Knows About Horses" Winner [27][28][29]
Kathleen Alcott "Reputation Management" Shortlist [30]
Richard Lambert "The Hazel Twig and the Olive Tree" Shortlist [30]
Victor Lodato "The Tenant" Shortlist [30]
Celeste Ng "Every Little Thing" Shortlist [30]
Sally Rooney "Mr Salary" Shortlist [30]
2018 Courtney Zoffness Peanuts Aren't Nuts Winner
Allegra Goodman F.A.Q.s Shortlist [31][32]
Miranda July The Metal Bowl Shortlist [31]
Victor Lodato Herman Melville, Volume 1 Shortlist [31]
Molly McCloskey Life on Earth Shortlist [31]
Curtis Sittenfeld Do-Over Shortlist [31]
2019 Danielle McLaughlin A Partial List of the Saved Winner [33]
Kevin Barry The Coast of Leitrim Shortlist
Emma Cline What Can You Do with a General Shortlist
Joe Dunthorne All The Poems Contained Within Will Mean Everything to Everyone Shortlist
Louise Kennedy In Silhouette Shortlist
Paul Dalla Rosa Comme Shortlist [34]
2020 Niamh Campbell Love Many Winner
Louise Kennedy Sparing the Heather Shortlist
Daniel O'Malley Simon Shortlist
Namwali Serpell Take It Shortlist
Alexia Tolas Granma's Porch Shortlist
2021 Susan Choi Flashlight Winner [35][36][37]
Rabih Alameddine The July War Shortlist [36][38]
Laura Demers Sleeping Beauty Shortlist [36][38]
Rachael Fulton Call Shortlist [36][38]
Jonathan Gibbs A Prolonged Kiss Shortlist [36][38]
Elizabeth McCracken The Irish Wedding Shortlist

References

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  1. ^ Campbell, Lisa (2 March 2012). "Barry wins Sunday Times Short Story Award". The Bookseller. Archived from the original on 9 May 2012. Retrieved 22 January 2013.
  2. ^ Cowdrey, Katherine (16 December 2018). "Audible takes over as sponsor for Sunday Times Short Story Award". The Bookseller. Archived from the original on 4 January 2019. Retrieved 3 January 2019.
  3. ^ a b "Desmond Elliott Prize on hiatus for 2023 while Sunday Times Short Story Award could be discontinued". The Bookseller. 19 June 2022. Retrieved 24 May 2024. The Sunday Times Short Story Award is in danger of being discontinued ... if another sponsor cannot be found to succeed Audible, which withdrew a year ago.
  4. ^ "OMG: Text speak short story in running for £30,000 prize". The Daily Telegraph. 19 February 2012. Archived from the original on 15 April 2012. Retrieved 22 January 2013.
  5. ^ Lea, Richard (4 July 2008). "Field narrows in race for richest story award". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 13 March 2016. Retrieved 29 September 2012.
  6. ^ Flood, Alison (26 March 2010). "CK Stead wins short story prize". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 8 August 2018. Retrieved 22 January 2013.
  7. ^ "New Zealand author Stead wins short story prize". BBC News. 26 March 2010. Archived from the original on 5 October 2013. Retrieved 22 January 2013.
  8. ^ Caesar, Ed (26 March 2010). "A man for all seasons". The Sunday Times. Archived from the original on 5 October 2013. Retrieved 22 January 2013.
  9. ^ "Anthony Doerr wins Short Story award". BBC News. 8 April 2011. Archived from the original on 6 December 2011. Retrieved 22 January 2013.
  10. ^ "A heartwarming win for a heartbreaking tale". The Sunday Times. 9 April 2011. Archived from the original on 9 May 2012. Retrieved 22 January 2013.
  11. ^ Flood, Alison (30 March 2012). "Kevin Barry's tale of ale enthusiasts wins Sunday Times short story award". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 20 December 2014. Retrieved 22 January 2013.
  12. ^ Davies, Helen (1 April 2012). "Raise your glasses". The Sunday Times. Archived from the original on 3 April 2014. Retrieved 22 January 2013.
  13. ^ "Flood, Alison (22 March 2013). "Junot Díaz wins world's richest short story prize". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 17 May 2014. Retrieved 23 March 2013.
  14. ^ ""Awards: Dilys Winner; Sunday Times Short Story". Shelf Awareness. 25 March 2013. Archived from the original on 3 February 2023. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  15. ^ a b c d e ""Awards: Ulfers; Bram Stoker; Red House; Sunday Times Short Story". Shelf Awareness. 27 February 2013. Archived from the original on 17 May 2022. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  16. ^ "Brooks, Richard (6 April 2014). "Cobain helps win short story prize". The Sunday Times. Archived from the original on 29 May 2014. Retrieved 29 May 2014.
  17. ^ ""The Sunday Times EFG Short Story Award 2014". Book Trust. Archived from the original on 30 May 2014. Retrieved 29 May 2014.
  18. ^ a b c d e "The Sunday Times EFG Short Story Award 2014". Book Trust. Archived from the original on 30 May 2014. Retrieved 29 May 2014.
  19. ^ a b c d e ""Awards: Golden Kite Winners; Sunday Times EFG Short Story". Shelf Awareness. 4 March 2014. Archived from the original on 23 February 2023. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  20. ^ Flood, Alison (24 April 2015). "Yiyun Li wins Sunday Times short story prize for A Sheltered Woman". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 2 December 2016. Retrieved 26 April 2015.
  21. ^ ""for Tuesday, April 28, 2015aAwards: Sunday Times EFG Short Story; James Beard; Encore". Shelf Awareness. 28 April 2015. Archived from the original on 4 December 2023. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  22. ^ a b c d e "Awards: Sunday Times EFG Short Story Shortlist; SIBA Longlist". Shelf Awareness. 2 March 2015. Archived from the original on 27 January 2023. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  23. ^ "Our 2016 Winner". shortstoryaward.co.uk. 21 April 2016. Archived from the original on 27 April 2016. Retrieved 23 April 2016.
  24. ^ "Jonathan Tel wins Sunday Times short story award". The Poetry Society. Archived from the original on 8 July 2020. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  25. ^ a b c d e "Awards: Dylan Thomas; Sunday Times EFG Short Story". Shelf Awareness. 22 March 2016. Archived from the original on 9 December 2022. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  26. ^ a b Robertson, Becky (18 April 2016). "Awards: Alix Christie and Nicholas Ruddock among finalists for Sunday Times EFG Short Story Award". Quill and Quire. Archived from the original on 5 February 2023. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  27. ^ Onwuemezi, Natasha (20 March 2017). "Sunday Times Short Story Award shortlists Lambert and Rooney". The Bookseller. Archived from the original on 24 May 2020. Retrieved 13 September 2017.
  28. ^ Page, Benedicte (27 April 2017). "Bret Anthony Johnston wins Sunday Times EFG Short Story Award". The Bookseller. Archived from the original on 14 September 2017. Retrieved 13 September 2017.
  29. ^ "Awards: RSL Ondaatje Shortlist; Sunday Times EFG Short Story; NAIBA Legacy". Shelf Awareness. 1 May 2017. Archived from the original on 2 October 2017. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  30. ^ a b c d e "Awards: Dewdney Read Together; Kerry Group; Times EFG". Shelf Awareness. 22 March 2017. Archived from the original on 11 April 2021. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  31. ^ a b c d e "Awards: Sunday Times EFG Short Story". Shelf Awareness. 20 March 2018. Archived from the original on 7 October 2022. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  32. ^ "Shortlist announced for EFG Short Story Award". The Society of Authors. Archived from the original on 23 April 2018. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  33. ^ "Danielle McLaughlin wins The Sunday Times Short Story of the Year award". The Stinging Fly. Archived from the original on 30 January 2023. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  34. ^ "Paul Dalla Rosa shortlisted for Sunday Times Audible Short Story Award". Granta. Archived from the original on 27 March 2023. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  35. ^ "US author Choi wins £30k Sunday Times Audible Short Story Award". Books+Publishing. 9 July 2021. Archived from the original on 28 November 2021. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
  36. ^ a b c d e Caplan, Walker (8 July 2021). "Read the story that just won the biggest short story prize in the world". Literary Hub. Archived from the original on 30 November 2022. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  37. ^ "Flashlight by Susan Choi — winner of The Sunday Times Audible Short Story Award 2021". The Sunday Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Archived from the original on 23 September 2021. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  38. ^ a b c d "2021 Sunday Times Audible Short Story Award Longlist". Locus Online. 3 May 2021. Archived from the original on 30 January 2023. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
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