V.S. Pritchett Memorial Prize

V.S. Pritchett Memorial Prize


This prize was founded by the RSL at the beginning of the new millennium to commemorate the centenary of an author widely regarded as the finest English short-story writer of the 20th century, and to preserve a tradition encompassing Pritchett’s mastery of narrative.

The annual prize of £1,000 goes to the best unpublished short story of the year. The winning entry is also published in Prospect Magazine and the RSL Review.


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 2017 Prize

The Royal Society of Literature is delighted to announce the 2017 V.S. Pritchett Memorial Prize for unpublished short stories. In addition to a prize of £1000 and publication in the RSL Review and Prospect Magazine online the winner (and shortlist) will have the opportunity to appear at an RSL event with established short story writers in autumn 2017. This year’s judges will be announced shortly.

The closing date for entries is Wednesday 14 June 2017.

Submit online by clicking the link below.

Submit Here

You can also submit by post. Please download the application form.





If you have any media enquiries, please contact Annette Brook: annette@rsliterature.org or call 020 7845 4680.