‘The short story, my father once wrote, is “exquisitely difficult”. For the author, that is. All the same, I hope that many, many people will enter this competition in his memory. And if they want encouragement and inspiration they may find it in one of his own short stories. There are so many to choose from, but I would particularly recommend “The Evils of Spain”, one of my favourites, from the very beginning of his amazingly long writing career, or the wonderful “Cocky Olly”, written more than half a century later.’
 — Oliver Pritchett

The prize commemorates an author who is widely regarded as the finest English short-story writer of the 20th century.

The VS Pritchett Memorial Prize is a prize of £1,000 for an unpublished short story. It was relaunched in 2009 in collaboration with Prospect magazine, who will be publishing the winning entry.

THE VS PRITCHETT AWARD 2010

Details about entry and submission will be available in late March.

The deadline for entries will be in June (date TBA).
 

The 2009 Prize

Kate Clanchy has won the 2009 VS Pritchett award for her story The Not-Dead and the Saved. Judges Georgina Hammick, Jacob Ross and Tom Chatfield admired her ‘deft, thought-provoking exploration of parental love and sacrifice’.  The winning story appears in the December issue of Prospect Magazine.

The runner-up was Ruth Thomas for her story, Rock of Ages.

The 2008 Prize

The judges of the Royal Society of Literature’s VS Pritchett Memorial Prize 2008 — Tessa Hadley, Georgina Hammick and Jacob Ross — are pleased to announce that the prize has been won by Cynthia Rogerson for her story A Dangerous Place.

The winner was presented with her cheque for £1,000 at a prize-giving ceremony on 24 June 2008.

The runners-up were Claire Harman for Bad Luck for a Bride, Susan Holland for Reception, Leone Ross for Love Silk Food and Dennis Walder for The Place.

Past recipients