Glasgow Student Short Story Prize

The Anthology!

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The Glasgow Student Short Story Prize Anthology is now available to read, and it is completely free! Just click on the top left hand side of the BookStreamer book above, to be redirected to a bigger page where you can read the book right now!

Should you wish to purchase a paper copy, please note that this is a 2nd proof and the final confirmed double checked edition is the one I strongly recommend getting, on or around the 20th of August. I will post here and Tweet a confirmation when it is perfect and purchasable! The book will cost £5.15, despite the BookStreamer stating £2.20: it does not add on postage and 'printers costs' until you reach the checkout. Be assured though, the actual profit we are making on this book is, steady yourselves, 1p a copy. This is the smallest amount allowed though the publisher used. Profit is most emphatically not the aim here, accessibility is.

And with that in mind, the stories have all been published simultaneously today in the new look From Glasgow to Saturn. The journal has a bold and lovely new colour scheme for the Prize Winners Edition:

We are just delighted to have the book and online journal issued, and available to read. I really hope you enjoy the book, please do feel free to post me a comment or an email (elisabeth.ingram@gmail.com), and let me know what you think!

It is my hope that the competition could run annually, so do get in touch with any ideas or suggestions about how we could go forward in 2010.

Thank you so much for reading.

Introduction

by Elisabeth Ingram

The Glasgow Student Short Story Prize was founded to support and promote new writing talent across Scotland’s largest city. The prize was free to enter and open to all undergraduate and postgraduate students studying at any University in Glasgow.

I hoped that an accessible prize would encourage students of all subjects to write stories, and am delighted that the prize attracted submissions from all five major universities and academies in Glasgow. Shortlisted stories came from a diverse range of students studying Creative Writing, English Literature, Journalism, History of Art, Forensic Biology, and Law.

The prize had just one rule: a limit of 1000 words. This restriction proves a serious challenge to any writer. Crafting a powerful story in a tight space is one of the most challenging tasks a writer can face. Every word must count, drive forwards, resonate. Each writer on our shortlist wrote with precision and verve. The three winners of the Prize reveal an exceptional talent, creating daring prose that stands out amongst an already impressive group of stories.

Involvement in this prize illustrates the scale of writing talent in Glasgow. I’m happy that each of these authors will have their work published in From Glasgow To Saturn (the online literary journal of Glasgow University), and even happier that we are publishing this book: there’s no bigger a thrill as a writer than seeing your writing in print!

Special thanks are due to A. L. Kennedy, for her generosity and kindness to strangers. Strangers’ kindness has been a heartening and unexpected surprise throughout the Prize. Short story publishers and writers such as Nuala Ní Chonchúir made it possible, by offering substantial prizes and support to new and emerging short story writers.

I must also mention the Dewar Arts Awards, who funded my course and writing this year, allowing me to create the prize and this anthology.

This beautiful book is largely due to the hard work of Cosmo Wallace. Thank you, Cosmo. Thank you also to Rebecca Bradburd and José C. Velazquez, two dedicated co-editors of From Glasgow to Saturn, who read every entry to the prize, and worked with me to compile a fantastic shortlist.

A final thanks must go to every student who entered the prize. I’m proud to have read so many excellent short stories, and I’m confident that whether or not individual entrants won prizes or a place on the shortlist, they will continue to write and to make Glasgow a great place to be a writer.

Winners

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I am delighted to announce the winners of The Glasgow Student Short Story Prize, chosen by our judge, A. L. Kennedy!

1st Prize Winner:

Linda McLaughlin (Glasgow University)
'Taking Care of Joseph'

2nd Prize Winner:

Nikki Cameron (Glasgow University)
'Catching the Number 79 Bus'

3rd Prize Winner:

Craig R Lamont (Strathclyde University)
'He Wasn't Half Late'

Special Mentions:

Vicki Husband (Glasgow University) with 'McLeish'
Mary Houston (Glasgow University) with 'In A Pickle'
Robert Kilgour (Strathclyde University) with 'Discomfort Food'
Matt Brolly (Glasgow University) with 'Heron'
John Jennett (Glasgow University) with 'Guga'

Congratulations!

The shortlisted and winning stories will be available to read in an anthology, free to read online on this blog very soon, or available for purchase within the week. The stories will also be published in a dedicated 'Prize Winners Edition' of From Glasgow To Saturn (the literary journal of Glasgow University's Creative Writing MLitt) on 14th August.

Thank you to every student who entered the prize.

I am thrilled that the prize attracted submissions from all five major universities and academies in Glasgow. Shortlisted stories came from a diverse range of students, studying Creative Writing, English Literature, Journalism, History of Art, Forensic Biology and Law.

I'm proud to have read so many excellent short stories, and I'm confident that whether or not individual entrants won prizes or a place on the shortlist, they will continue to write and to make Glasgow a great place to be a writer.

Here is a preview of the cover of the upcoming anthology!

The Cover

SHORTLIST

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The Heron, by Matt Brolly

Catching the number 79 bus, by Nikki Cameron

Johnny, by Euan Cuthbertson

In a Pickle, by Mary Houston

McLeish, by Vicki Husband

Guga, by John Jennett

Sic, e.g. Jönsson

Blessed are they..., by Arthur Ker

Discomfort Food, by Robert Kilgour

He Wasn’t Half Late, by Craig R Lamont

Pobrecita, by Kirsty Logan

Spanish Lessons in the Art of Love, by Harry Mc Donald

4 a.m, by Lucy McIver

Taking Care of Joseph, Linda McLaughlin

The Triangle and Odd-Shaped Creatures, by Carthage O’Sullivan

This Is Your Pebble, by Michele Waering

Introducing the Prize

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The Glasgow Student Short Story Prize has been founded to support and encourage new writing talent in Scotland, and promote the wider reading and writing of short stories among students. The Prize is free to enter, and open to all undergraduate and postgraduate students studying at any University in Glasgow - including Glasgow University, Strathclyde University, Glasgow Caledonian, Glasgow School of Art, and the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama.

You choose the subject, and as long as it comes in under 1000 words, you choose how short a short you want to write: just have fun and surprise us. This most dynamic and immediate of literary forms offers a way to express yourself and your creativity; even if you have never written a short story before, you can certainly have a go at writing 1000 words.

There is a wealth of writing talent in Glasgow, and it will be our pleasure to promote it. We cannot wait to read your entries.

The Judges

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Prize winners will be selected by our internationally acclaimed guest judge, Costa Award winning writer A. L. Kennedy.

THE TEAM:

Elisabeth Ingram writes short stories and long stories, and is a student of the MLitt at Glasgow University, having previously studied English at Oxford University. This year she has received a Dewar Arts Award which is supporting her while she studies and writes. She is co-editor of From Glasgow to Saturn, and blogs about writing at iluvwords.blogspot.com

She set up this prize because she loves short stories. Reading the entries with her will be:

José C. Velazquez writes screenplays and prose, and is an MLitt student at Glasgow University. He is co-editor of From Glasgow to Saturn.

Rebecca Bradburd is a writer and student of the MLitt at Glasgow University. She is co-editor of From Glasgow to Saturn.

Cosmo Wallace is a Scottish BAFTA nominated writer and director.

PRIZES

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All of our shortlisted and prize winning writers will receive great prizes!

The 1st Prize Winner

The winning story will be published in August in a special Prize Winners Edition of From Glasgow to Saturn.
It will be published in a printed Glasgow Student Short Story Prize 2009 Anthology to follow. The 1^st Prize winner will get a free copy of the Anthology.
A signed copy of A. L. Kennedy's new short story collection, 'What Becomes'.
2 tickets to see the comedy show "WORDS with A. L. Kennedy" at the Edinburgh festival this August
The Association for Scottish Literary Studies are awarding prizes to all prize winners: the 1st Prize winner will get a one year Student Membership to the ASLS, plus a copy of the annual anthology, New Writing Scotland 27.
Chapman is Scotland's leading literary magazine, and they are supporting the Glasgow Student Short Story Prize by awarding prizes to all prize winners. The 1^st Prize winner will get a one year Subscription to Chapman.
Publisher HappenStance are awarding prizes to all winners: The ^1st Prize winner will win a One Year HappenStance Subscription, which includes a variety of pamphlets, as well as 25% off all HappenStance publications for a year. The winner will also get the last two years worth of HappenStance short story anthologies, launch invites, some great advice from the publisher on how (not) to get published, and, most excitingly, a BADGE!
The winner will receive a one year subscription to Salt’s Story Bank, which will provide them with the latest Salt short story collections for a whole year, for free. They will also get 30% off all Salt books for a year, and other assorted special offers.
The winner will receive three signed short story collections from Irish short story writer and poet Nuala Ní Chonchúir. Her short fiction collections The Wind Across the Grass (2004) and To the World of Men, Welcome (2005), were published by Arlen House, and her third short story collection, Nude, will be published by Salt in September 2009.
Two Ravens Press are awarding the 1st Prize winner with two brand new releases: short story collections The Floating Order, by Erin Pringle and Fighting It by Regi Claire.
The 1^st Prize winner will also get Waterstones book vouchers!

The 2nd Prize Winner

This prize winning story will be published in August in a special Prize-winners Edition of From Glasgow to Saturn.
Publication in a printed Glasgow Student Short Story Prize 2009 Anthology to follow. The 2^nd Prize winner will get a free copy of the anthology.
2 tickets to see the comedy show "WORDS with A. L. Kennedy" at the Edinburgh festival this August.
From The Association for Scottish Literary Studies, a copy of New Writing Scotland 27.
Chapman are awarding the 2^nd Prize Winner a set of Chapman Centenary Editions.
From HappenStance, the 2^nd Prize winner will recieve the last two year's STORY anthologies and a copy of How (Not) to Get Your Poetry Published.
The 2nd Prize winner will receive Waterstones book vouchers!

The 3rd Prize Winner

This prize winning story will be published in August in a special Prize-winners Edition of From Glasgow to Saturn.
Publication in the printed Glasgow Student Short Story Prize 2009 Anthology to follow. The 3^rd Prize winner will get a free copy of the anthology.
2 tickets to see the comedy show "WORDS with A. L. Kennedy" at the Edinburgh festival this August
From The Association for Scottish Literary Studies, a copy of New Writing Scotland 27.
From HappenStance , the 3^rd Prize winner will also receive the last two year's STORY anthologies and a copy of How (Not) to Get Your Poetry Published.
Chapman are giving the 3rd receive a copy of the current issue of Chapman.
The 3^rd Prize winner will win Waterstones book vouchers!

All winners and shortlisted writers will be published online in August, in a special Prize Winners edition of From Glasgow To Saturn. FGtS is the online literary magazine run by graduate students in the University of Glasgow's Creative Writing MLitt programme. Founded in 2007, the magazine is named for a collection of poetry by Glasgow's own Edwin Morgan. FGtS aims to publish the best short works by members of the university community.

Each winner and shortlisted writer will also gain publication in The Glasgow Student Short Story Prize Anthology.

The Rules

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Word limit: 1000 words maximum, no minimum.

Prose.

Strictly one entry per student.

Write on any subject or theme you like.

Submission Guidelines

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Who can submit work?

The prize is open to all undergraduate and postgraduate students studying at University in Glasgow. This includes Glasgow University, Strathclyde University, Glasgow Caledonian, Glasgow School of Art and the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama.

What can I submit?

A short story of under 1000 words. There is no minimum word count.

Prose, not poetry, please.

We can not accept work that has been previously published. Please inform us if you are in the process of submitting your entry to other publishers/magazines. One submission per student.

What do I need to do to submit?

If you are an undergraduate or postgraduate student in Glasgow, you can enter.

Entry to the prize is free.

Submissions must be received by the deadline of 20th July (midnight at the latest), by email.

How should I format my entry?

Entries should be double spaced, in any clear 12 point font, such as Times New Roman.

All entries should be sent as an attachment to glasgowstoryprize@gmail.com, preferably from your University email account.

Microsoft Word is the preferable document format as it is the most universal. However, if we cannot open your attachment, we will contact you. Please put the title of the short story on each page, but NOT YOUR NAME, ADDRESS, OR OTHER IDENTIFYING MARKS.

Please include the following details in the body of your email:

Your name, University, student status (i.e. postgraduate), subject studied, contact details (address, phone number), story title, word count.

Your submission will be distributed anonymously to the reviewing readers and judges. It is important you provide all the information requested in the body of the email, and attach your entry to the email with no other information other than title.

The readers/judges reserve the right to correct egregious spelling and grammatical errors. The readers/judges will review all submissions, make a final decision and notify the authors by the start of August. No corrections can be made after receipt. By submitting work you authorise us to publish it on fromglasgowtosaturn.com/fromglasgowtosaturn.co.uk.

Update - 19th July: We intend to publish the winners and shortlisted stories in an anthology.

Results

Check this site and From Glasgow to Saturn on the 8th August, when the prize winners will be announced and published online. All Prize Winners and shortlisted writers will be notified by email on or before this date.

Judging

The judges' decision is final and no individual correspondence can be entered into.
Judges are unable to comment on individual entries.
Judging is fair and unbiased. Experienced readers assist the named judges in selecting the shortlist.

Entry implies acceptance of all the rules.

Questions?

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If you have any questions, please email them to glasgowstoryprize@gmail.com, and we will respond promptly.

1000 words is pretty short. Why 1000 words?
Some people would call a story under 1000 words flash-fiction, a short-short or a micro-fiction; all terms for fiction of extreme brevity. You can read more about what flash fiction is here, and decide for yourself where we fit in.

However you define it, we chose 1000 words because it offers a real challenge. You can write right up to the word limit, or be brief and follow Hemingway's example; he famously wrote a story in just six words "For sale: baby shoes, never worn."

Where can I read some short short stories, and find out more about them?

SHORT STORIES

STORY, the campaign to celebrate the short story. They believe that the short story is one of the most exciting and important literary forms, that can and should reach the widest possible readership. You can download short-stories for free, and read opinions on the short story.

FLASH FICTION:

Awww! An Essay on Flash by Randall Brown
Flashes on the Meridian by Pam Casto
Flash Fiction Flash Newsletter by Pam Casto
Flash What? A Quick Look at Flash Fiction by Jason Gurley
Flash Fiction: A Thumbnail History by Tom Hazuka
What is Flash Fiction? An Essay by Kathy Kachelries and Steve Smith
Flash Fiction by Miriam N. Kotzin
The Essentials of Micro-Fiction by Camille Renshaw
"Short-Short Sighted" article series by Bruce Holland Rogers
Tiny Revelation: an essay on flash fiction by Sam Ruddick
Writing Flash Fiction by G.W. Thomas

From Glasgow to Saturn Issue 14, Flash Fiction edition.