We’re delighted to reveal the 20 stories and writers who have been selected for the 2018 Bristol Short Story Prize shortlist. The writers are all in the running for the £1,000 1st prize and will have their stories published in our 11th anthology. The anthology will be published, and the winning writer and story announced at our awards ceremony on October 13th this year.
Chair of this year’s judging panel, literary agent Kate Johnson, says “It was such a joy to read and discuss these stories alongside my fellow judges Lucy, Polly, and Roshi. Selected from a high-calibre longlist, the twenty that will appear in the anthology are ambitious, smart, and wide-ranging in voice and experience, and the best of them made all four of us light up in awe and say, ‘This! This is why we tell stories. This is what a story can do.’ It will be a thrill to see them in print this October, and they are sure to linger in readers’ minds long after.”
A big thank you to our brilliant judging panel for the commitment, enthusiasm and great wisdom they brought to the judging process. And, again, to our wonderful readers who take such care and consideration with what is a very big task!
And, finally, a massive thank you to all the writers who entered this year’s competition, we feel very fortunate to receive so many great stories.
We wish all the writers on this year’s shortlist the best of luck with the rest of the competition and congratulations to them on being selected for our 11th anthology.
2018 Bristol Short Story Prize Shortlist (listed A-Z by author’s name)
Chicken Heart – Aniqah Choudhri
Havoc Shore – Maureen Cullen
Shapeshifting – L.O. Evans
Dogging – Jess Farr-Cox
The Making of Nancy – Stacey Gowland
What Remains – Pamela Hensley
Waste – Bethan James
Chestnut Avenue – Sarah Burton Kennedy
The Significance of Swans – Rhiannon Lewis
You are Here – Dana Miltins
There’s a Place – Martin Pevsner
The Road Home – Ian Priestley
Transposition – Helen Rye
Water in the Desert – Peter Slater
The Inconsequential Codes on Lipsticks – Rachael Smart
Little Yellow Planes – Zeus Sumra
Cowboy Boot – Dizz Tate
Good as Gold – Susan Utting
Powerful Owl – Chloe Wilson
If, Say – Julianne Woodside
