Shortlist announced for the BBC National Short Story Award

The five writers shortlisted for the £15,000 award are Jenni Fagan, Benjamin Markovits, Helen Oyeyemi, Will Eaves and Cynan Jones

The award, now in its 12th year, is one of the most prestigous short story awards. In addition to the £15,000 first prize, the four runners up each receive £600. The shortlist was announced tonight during BBC Radio 4's Front Row.

This year's shortlist is:

• Murmur by Will Eaves

• The Waken by Jenni Fagan

• The Edge of the Shoal by Cynan Jones

• The Collector by Behjamin Markovits

• If a book is locked there's probably a good reason for that, don't you think? by Helen Oyeyemi

Eimear McBride, Baileys Prize winner and Judge for the BBC National Short Story Award 2017 said: 'I think this year's shortlist represents a veritable festival of ideas about identity, the innate and the capacity of both for transformation... or not. These are stories about what is hidden, what is revealed, what can be lost and what will remain. While they inhabit very different imaginative, linguistic, political and artistic landscapes, these are the ideas which bind them together and have made each one such a pleasurable discovery for me.'

One of the shortlisted stories will be broadcast on BBC Radio 4 each day next week (18 to 22 September) from 3.30pm to 4pm. You'll be able to read each story here on Writers Online after it's been broadcast, so check back each day!

The winner of the BBC National Short Story Award will be announced on Front Row on 3 October.

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