Longlist for for V.S. Pritchett Short Story Prize 2026 Announced
The V.S. Pritchett Short Story Prize is an annual award for unpublished short stories between 2,000 to 4,000 words in length.
This is the third year running that the award will be presented as part of the ALCS Annual Awards. The winner will be announced at the awards ceremony on Thursday 26 February.
The V.S. Pritchett was founded by the Royal Society of Literature in 1999 to commemorate the centenary of the renowned 20th century author. The winner will receive £1,000 and their entry will be published in the RSL Review. Last year, the award was won by Lisa Blower for her short story Blessing in Burslem’.
Stories are judged anonymously by a panel of writers. This year’s judges are Tishani Doshi, Kirsty Gunn, and Tom Vowler.
The 2026 Longlist
Jonny Aldridge – Of Being Such a God
Dermot Bolger – The Lady Captain
Jacqueline Crooks – EAST OF THE SUN, WEST OF THE ICE
Gail Davey – City of A Thousand Blooms
Keith Goh Johnson – Willkommen!
Mairi Griffin – Wee Dirty
Catherine Menon – The Day Anna Burnt
Fionnuala O’Leary – If You Knew How Much I Love You
Michael Stewart – A Black-Hearted Love
Priyanka Verma – House of Thread
Hannah Webb – Bottom’s Dream
David Willey – Garden Girl
