THE SUNDAY TIMES/EFG PRIVATE BANK
SHORT STORY AWARD ANNOUNCED

£25,000 FIRST PRIZE

The Sunday Times and EFG Private Bank have joined forces to launch the world’s richest award for an individual short story with a first prize of £25,000.

This annual award builds on the success of the weekly short story section, introduced by Cathy Galvin, deputy editor of The Sunday Times Magazine, in November 2008. The Sunday Times/EFG Private Bank Short Story Award is looking for the finest talent in this exciting genre which has been enjoying a renaissance in recent years.

The award for the best short story is open to authors who have been published in the UK and Ireland. There will be five runner-up prizes of £500 each.
The non-voting chairman of the judges is Matthew Evans and judges are the writers Lynn Barber, AS Byatt, Nick Hornby and Hanif Kureishi and the literary editor of The Sunday Times, Andrew Holgate.

John Witherow, Editor of The Sunday Times, said: “Our weekly short story has been a great success, attracting some of the most talented names among them Julian Barnes, William Trevor, Hilary Mantel and Zoe Heller. It has also tempted authors such as Alexei Sayle, Frank Skinner and Julie Burchill to try their hand at the genre for the first time. I am delighted that EFG Private Bank has agreed to join us in this great initiative to further the popularity of the short story in Britain and Ireland.”

Lord Evans, Chairman of EFG Private Bank and previously Chairman of Faber & Faber, said: “I am particularly pleased to have the opportunity to connect my earlier career in book publishing with my current activities in banking. At EFG I am constantly impressed by the creative talents of both our clients and our staff, so I see The Sunday Times/EFG Private Bank Short Story Award as a perfect partnership.”

Applications for the award, which is being administered by the Booktrust, close on 30 November 2009. The winner and runners-up will be announced at The Sunday Times Oxford Literary Festival in March 2010.
Full details are available at www.timesonline.co.uk/shortstoryaward and www.booktrust.org.uk/Prizes-and-awards/Sunday-Times-EFG-Award

An interview with the winner will appear in The Sunday Times and winning stories will be published in the Magazine and online with additional podcasts/audio downloads available.