We’re thrilled to say that all judging decisions for the 2018 Bristol Short Story Prize have been made and we can now reveal the 40 brilliant stories that have been selected for this year’s longlist.
Our readers have had such a fascinating and rewarding time reading the 2,190 entries. A huge thank you to everyone who entered, we feel so fortunate to receive so many stories.
Being selected for this longlist is something to be celebrated. The selections have been made after months of careful reading and decision making.
Congratulations to everyone who has been selected and we wish the writers the best of luck for the rest of the competition. This year’s shortlist will be announced in two weeks, on Wednesday July 25th.
2018 Bristol Short Story Prize Longlist
(a-z by writer’s name)
Annie Lowe – Jay Barnett
Chicken Heart – Aniqah Choudhri
Plastic People – Zoë Comyns
Havoc Shore – Maureen Cullen
English – Eleanor Duffy
Shapeshifting – Luke Evans
Dogging – Jess Farr-Cox
Eddie Rekks – Adi Gal
The Making of Nancy – Stacey Gowland
What Remains – Pamela Hensley
Two Heads – Gary Hunter
The Cat Lady that Therefore I Am – Melanie Jones
Chestnut Avenue – Sarah Burton Kennedy
Goodbye, Mr Penguin – Shibani Lal
The Significance of Swans – Rhiannon Lewis
Fresh Watter – Rob McInroy
A Beginner’s Guide to Stammering – Rosemary Mairs
You are Here – Dana Miltins
Blue Slushy at the Red Rooster – Sarah Starr Murphy
Staff Announcement – Valerie O’Riordan
Ellen – Christopher Owen
Dinan – Noa Padawer-Blatt
There’s a Place – Martin Pevsner
The Sack of Rice – Rizwan Piracha
The Road Home – Ian Priestley
Transposition – Helen Rye
Water in the Desert – Peter Slater
The Inconsequential Codes on Lipsticks – Rachael Smart
Your Turn – Kailash Srinivasan
Little Yellow Planes – Zeus Sumra
Cowboy Boot – Dizz Tate
Good as Gold – Susan Utting
The Cardigan – Simon van der Velde
#Blesséd – Kate Ward
Powerful Owl – Chloe Wilson
The Sky Polisher – Katy Wimhurst
If, Say – Julianne Woodside
Strange Things – Safiya Ismaila Yero
Trespasser’s Tide – writer’s name withheld so as not to compromise another competition
Waste – writer’s name withheld so as not to compromise another competition
Notable Contenders
These stories were in the running for the longlist until the final decisions were made
Great Barrier Reef – Sarah Barr
Land of Pine and Honey – Marie Gethins
Indigo – America Hart
Happy Birthday, Thomas Sankara! – Alexis Harvey
You Cannot Smell the Orange Trees – Rebecca F John
Cast Iron Grilles Painted Blue – Laura Lewis
Lifted – Sara Mang
Slippage – Johanna Robinson
The Horsemeat March – Matthew Rose
Robin’s Fatal Flaw – Paul Sedgley
if found please return to – Tracey Slaughter
Carnival Day – Julie Twohig
