The Story Prize

The Story Prize is an annual book award established in 2004 that honors the author of an outstanding collection of short fiction with a $20,000 cash award. Each of two runners-up receives $5,000. Eligible books must be written in English and first published in the United States during a calendar year. The founder of the prize is Julie Lindsey, and the director is Larry Dark. He was previously series editor for the annual short story anthology Prize Stories: The O. Henry Awards from 1997 to 2002.

The Story Prize generally receives as entries 100 to 120 short story collections each year. The Director and Founder together choose the three finalists. Three independent judges choose the winner from among those books. The judging group has a different composition every year and consists of a mix of writers, booksellers, readers, critics, teachers, publishers, and editors. One judge is always a fiction writer, a second judge is either a bookseller or librarian in alternating years, and the third is generally a critic or editor or someone else associated with the short story.[1]

Publishers, authors, or agents may enter a short story collection written in English by a living author and published in the U.S. during a calendar year. Three finalists are announced in January. These authors participate in an award event, typically in March, at which they read from their work and have an on-stage discussion with Dark. At the end of the event, Julie Lindsey announces the winner, who, in addition to the prize money, receives an engraved silver bowl. From 2006 to 2020 the event was at the New School in New York City (co-sponsored with the Creative Writing Department). In 2021, the event was recorded via Zoom, and it has since been held at The Lotos Club.

In March 2019, Catapult published The Story Prize: 15 Years of Great Short Fiction, an anthology celebrating the award's fifteenth anniversary.[2]

Recipients

Story Prize winners and finalists
Year Author Title Result
2004 Edwidge Danticat The Dew Breaker Winner
Cathy Day The Circus in Winter Finalist [3]
Joan Silber Ideas of Heaven
2005 Patrick O'Keeffe The Hill Road Winner [4]
Jim Harrison The Summer He Didn't Die Finalist [4]
Maureen F. McHugh Mothers and Other Monsters
2006 Mary Gordon The Stories of Mary Gordon Winner
Rick Bass The Lives of Rocks Finalist
George Saunders In Persuasion Nation
2007 Jim Shepard Like You'd Understand, Anyway Winner [5]
Tessa Hadley Sunstroke and Other Stories Finalist [5]
Vincent Lam Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures
2008 Tobias Wolff Our Story Begins Winner [6][7]
Jhumpa Lahiri Unaccustomed Earth Finalist [6][7]
Joe Meno Demons in the Spring
2009 Daniyal Mueenuddin In Other Rooms, Other Wonders Winner [8][9]
Victoria Patterson Drift Finalist [8][9]
Wells Tower Everything Ravaged, Everything Burned
2010 Anthony Doerr Memory Wall Winner [10][11]
Yiyun Li Gold Boy, Emerald Girl Finalist [10][12]
Suzanne Rivecca Death Is Not an Option
2011 Steven Millhauser We Others Winner [13][14]
Don DeLillo The Angel Esmeralda Finalist
Edith Pearlman Binocular Vision
2012 Claire Vaye Watkins Battleborn Winner [15]
Dan Chaon Stay Awake Finalist [15][16]
Junot Díaz This Is How You Lose Her
2013 George Saunders Tenth of December Winner [17][18]
Andrea Barrett Archangel Finalist [18][19]
Rebecca Lee Bobcat
2014 Elizabeth McCracken Thunderstruck Winner [20][21]
Francesca Marciano The Other Language Finalist [20][21]
Lorrie Moore Bark
2015 Adam Johnson Fortune Smiles Winner [22]
Charles Baxter There’s Something I Want You to Do Finalist [23][22]
Colum McCann Thirteen Ways of Looking
2016 Rick Bass For a Little While Winner [24][25]
Anna Noyes Goodnight, Beautiful Women Finalist [24][25]
Helen Maryles Shankman They Were Like Family to Me (published in hardcover as In the Land of Armadillos)
2017 Elizabeth Strout Anything Is Possible Winner [26][27]
Daniel Alarcón The King Is Always Above the People Finalist [26][28]
Ottessa Moshfegh Homesick for Another World
2018 Lauren Groff Florida Winner [29]
Jamel Brinkley A Lucky Man Finalist [29]
Deborah Eisenberg Your Duck Is My Duck
2019 Edwidge Danticat Everything Inside Winner [30][31]
Kali Fajardo-Anstine Sabrina & Corina Finalist [30][31]
Zadie Smith Grand Union
2020 Deesha Philyaw The Secret Lives of Church Ladies Winner [32][33]
Sarah Shun-lien Bynum Likes Finalist [32][34]
Danielle Evans The Office of Historical Corrections
2021 Brandon Taylor Filthy Animals Winner [35][36]
Lily King Five Tuesdays in Winter Finalist [37][36]
J. Robert Lennon Let Me Think
2022 Ling Ma Bliss Montage Winner [38][39]
Andrea Barrett Natural History Finalist [39][40]
Morgan Talty Night of the Living Rez
2024 Paul Yoon The Hive and the Honey Winner [41]
Yiyun Li Wednesday's Child Finalist [42][43]
Bennett Sims Other Minds and Other Stories
2025 Fiona McFarlane Highway 13 Winner [44][45]
Ruben Reyes Jr. There Is a Rio Grande in Heaven Finalist [45][46]
Jessi Jezewska Stevens Ghost Pains
2026 André Alexis Other Worlds Winner [47][48]
Lydia Millet Atavists Finalist [48][49]
Ayşegül Savaş Long Distance

The Story Prize Spotlight Award

This $1,000 award is given to a short story collection of exceptional merit, as selected by the Director of the Story Prize, from among all entrants. Winners of The Story Prize Spotlight Award might be promising works by first-time authors, collections in alternative formats, or works that demonstrate an unusual perspective on the writers’ craft.

Year Winner Work Ref.
2012 Krys Lee Drifting House
2013 Ben Stroud Byzantium
2014 Kyle Minor Praying Drunk
2015 Adrian Tomine Killing and Dying
2016 Randa Jarrar Him, Me, Muhammad Ali
2017 Lee Conell Subcortical
2018 Akil Kumarasamy Half Gods [50]
2019 Ayşe Papatya Bucak The Trojan War Museum [51]
2020 Asako Serizawa Inheritors [52]
2021 Adam Thompson Born into This [53]
2022 Arinze Ifeakandu God's Children Are Little Broken Things [54]
2023 SJ Sindu The Goth House Experiment [55]
2024 Ben Shattuck The History of Sound [56]
2025 John Haskell Trying to Be

References

  1. ^ "Frequently Asked Questions". The Story Prize. Retrieved April 7, 2026.
  2. ^ "The Story Prize: 15 Years of Great Short Fiction ed. by Larry Dark (Pre-Order)". Catapult. Archived from the original on January 10, 2019. Retrieved April 6, 2026.
  3. ^ Lauren Mechling (January 19, 2005). "He Tells the Story Of the Story Prize". New York Sun. Archived from the original on October 19, 2017. Retrieved March 7, 2015.
  4. ^ a b Sarah Crown (January 26, 2006). "O'Keeffe takes Hill Road to glory". The Guardian. Retrieved March 7, 2015.
  5. ^ a b Jean Hartig (February 29, 2008). "Jim Shepard Wins Story Prize: Postcard From New York City". Poets & Writers. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 7, 2015.
  6. ^ a b Michaud (March 4, 2009). "Tobias Wolff wins Story Prize for short fiction". Reuters. Archived from the original on March 15, 2016. Retrieved March 7, 2015.
  7. ^ a b "Awards: Story Prize". Shelf Awareness. March 6, 2009. Retrieved April 7, 2026.
  8. ^ a b Thessaly La Force (March 4, 2010). "Daniyal Mueenuddin Wins the Story Prize". New Yorker. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 7, 2015.
  9. ^ a b "Awards: Story Prize, Arabic Fiction, Great New Writers". Shelf Awareness . March 4, 2010. Retrieved April 7, 2026.
  10. ^ a b "Awards: Story Prize; American History Book; Believer Shortlist". Shelf Awareness . March 4, 2011. Retrieved April 7, 2026.
  11. ^ "Anthony Doerr wins Short Story award". BBC. April 8, 2011. Archived from the original on December 6, 2011. Retrieved March 7, 2015.
  12. ^ "TSP: Anthony Doerr's Memory Wall Wins The Story Prize". The Story Prize. March 3, 2011. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  13. ^ Aparna Narayanan (March 26, 2012). "The Story Prize awards Steven Millhauser, honors Don DeLillo and Edith Pearlman". Capital New York. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 7, 2015.
  14. ^ "Awards: Story Prize". Shelf Awareness. March 22, 2012. Retrieved April 7, 2026.
  15. ^ a b "Image of the Day: Story Prize Winner". Shelf Awareness. March 13, 2013. Retrieved April 7, 2026.
  16. ^ Carolyn Kellogg (January 16, 2013). "Congrats to the Story Prize finalists". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on August 23, 2021. Retrieved March 7, 2015.
  17. ^ "George Saunders Wins His First Book Award, The Story Prize, for Tenth of December" Archived 2014-03-10 at the Wayback Machine, Larry Dark, official TSP Blog, March 5, 2014
  18. ^ a b "U.S. author George Saunders wins Story Prize for short fiction". Reuters. March 5, 2014. Archived from the original on March 13, 2016. Retrieved March 7, 2015.
  19. ^ "Awards: BIO Winner; Story Prize Finalists; NBCC Finalists". Shelf Awareness . January 13, 2014. Retrieved April 7, 2026.
  20. ^ a b "Image of the Day: Story Prize Indie Thanks". Shelf Awareness . March 5, 2015. Retrieved April 7, 2026.
  21. ^ a b "Elizabeth McCracken wins Story Prize for Thunderstruck". The Guardian. Reuters. March 4, 2015. Retrieved March 7, 2015.
  22. ^ a b "Adam Johnson wins $20,000 Story Prize for short fiction". Washington Post. Associated Press. March 2, 2016. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved March 3, 2016.
  23. ^ "Awards: Story Prize Finalists". Shelf Awareness. January 13, 2016. Retrieved April 7, 2026.
  24. ^ a b McMurtrie, John (March 8, 2017). "Rick Bass wins Story Prize". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on March 8, 2022. Retrieved February 11, 2022.
  25. ^ a b "Awards: Baileys Women's Fiction; Story Prize; Hayek Book". Shelf Awareness . March 9, 2017. Retrieved April 7, 2026.
  26. ^ a b John McMurtrie (February 28, 2018). "Elizabeth Strout wins Story Prize for 'Anything Is Possible". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on March 2, 2018. Retrieved March 1, 2018.
  27. ^ "Awards: Story Prize; U.K. Children's Book Finalists". Shelf Awareness . March 1, 2018. Retrieved April 7, 2026.
  28. ^ Temple, Emily (January 9, 2018). "Announcing the 2018 Story Prize Finalists". Literary Hub. Retrieved April 6, 2026.
  29. ^ a b "Awards: Story Prize; Simpson Literary; Walter Scott Historical Fiction". Shelf Awareness . March 7, 2019. Retrieved April 7, 2026.
  30. ^ a b "Author Edwidge Danticat wins $20,000 Story Prize". Associated Press. February 26, 2020. Archived from the original on February 28, 2020. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
  31. ^ a b "Image of the Day: Story Prize Finalists". Shelf Awareness . February 28, 2020. Retrieved April 7, 2026.
  32. ^ a b Schaub, Michael (March 10, 2021). "Winner of the Story Prize Is Revealed". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved April 6, 2026.
  33. ^ "Awards: Story Prize Winner". Shelf Awareness . March 10, 2021. Retrieved April 7, 2026.
  34. ^ "Awards: Pacific Northwest Book Winners; Story Prize Finalists". Shelf Awareness . January 13, 2021. Retrieved April 7, 2026.
  35. ^ "Brandon Taylor's 'Filthy Animals' wins $20,000 Story Prize". ABC News. March 13, 2022. Archived from the original on April 14, 2022. Retrieved April 14, 2022.
  36. ^ a b "Here Are This Year's Finalists for the Story Prize". LitHub. February 8, 2022. Archived from the original on February 9, 2022. Retrieved February 9, 2022.
  37. ^ "Awards: Story Prize Finalists". Shelf Awareness . February 8, 2022. Retrieved April 7, 2026.
  38. ^ "Ling Ma's Bliss Montage wins $20,000 Story Prize". ABC News. January 10, 2023. Archived from the original on March 21, 2023. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
  39. ^ a b "Awards: Story Prize Winner". Shelf Awareness . March 17, 2023. Retrieved April 7, 2026.
  40. ^ "Here Are This Year's Finalists for the Story Prize". LitHub. January 10, 2023. Archived from the original on April 5, 2024. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
  41. ^ "Awards: Story Prize Winner; Dublin Literary Shortlist". Shelf Awareness . March 27, 2024. Retrieved April 7, 2026.
  42. ^ "Here are this year's finalists for The Story Prize". LitHub. January 9, 2024. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  43. ^ "Awards: Pacific Northwest Book Winners; Story Prize Finalists". Shelf Awareness . January 9, 2024. Retrieved April 7, 2026.
  44. ^ Schaub, Michael (March 26, 2025). "Winner of the Story Prize Is Revealed". Kirkus Reviews. Archived from the original on April 1, 2025. Retrieved April 5, 2025.
  45. ^ a b "Awards: Story Prize, Kay Sexton Winners". Shelf Awareness. March 26, 2025. Retrieved April 7, 2026.
  46. ^ "Victorian Premier's Literary Awards 2025 shortlists announced". Books+Publishing. January 29, 2025. Archived from the original on January 28, 2025. Retrieved January 29, 2025.
  47. ^ Schaub, Michael (April 2, 2026). "Winner of the Story Prize Is Revealed". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved April 6, 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  48. ^ a b "Awards: International Booker Shortlist; Story Prize Winner". Shelf Awareness . April 2, 2026. Retrieved April 7, 2026.
  49. ^ Robertson, Aaron (January 9, 2020). "Here are the finalists for this year's Story Prize". LitHub. Retrieved January 14, 2026.
  50. ^ "Awards: Scott O'Dell; Jerusalem; Story Prize Spotlight; NBCC". Shelf Awareness . January 22, 2019. Retrieved April 7, 2026.
  51. ^ "TSP: The Trojan War Museum by Ayşe Papatya Bucak is the Winner of the Story Prize Spotlight Award". January 21, 2020. Archived from the original on January 29, 2020. Retrieved January 21, 2020.
  52. ^ "Awards: Story Prize Spotlight Winner; PEN America Literary, Hayek Finalists". Shelf Awareness. February 11, 2021. Retrieved April 7, 2026.
  53. ^ "TSP: Born into This by Adam Thompson is the Winner of the Story Prize Spotlight Award". February 22, 2022. Archived from the original on February 22, 2022. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  54. ^ "TSP: God's Children Are Little Broken Things by Arinze Ifeakandu is the Winner of the Story Prize Spotlight Award". February 7, 2023. Archived from the original on February 9, 2023. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
  55. ^ "TSP: The Goth House Experiment by SJ Sindu is the Winner of the Story Prize Spotlight Award". February 1, 2024.
  56. ^ "TSP: The History of Sound by Ben Shattuck Is The Story Prize Spotlight Award Winner". February 1, 2024. Archived from the original on February 3, 2025. Retrieved February 3, 2025.
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