The
best Fish International Short Story Prize 2005/6
This competition is now closed. Winners announced
Please visit the Writing Contests page to view our latest and current competitions
Summary - The Rules - Entry Fees - On-Line Entries - Postal Entries
Competition Summary
Closing date:
30 November 2005
Results announced:
17 March 2006
Anthology published: June
2006
First Prize - €10,000
Second Prize - a week at the Anam
Cara Writers' & Artists' Retreat in West Cork's Beara Peninsula,
with up to €250 travelling expenses
Third Prize - €250
All winning authors will be invited to read their work at the launch of the book during the West Cork Literary Festival held at Bantry House in July 2006. It is a condition of the competition that the overall winner attends the launch of the Anthology.
The First Prize will otherwise be passed to the next in line. The entire judging process is blind. The Fish Short Story Prize has been running uninterrupted since 1994 and the Prize has been awarded every year at the launch of the Anthology of winning stories.
Judges
Helen
Garnons-Williams, Publishing
Director, Weidenfeld & Nicolson.
Helen began her career in publishing
after a short-lived foray into the
world of Strategy Consultancy -
in which she learned a painful amount
about financial analysis - as an
Editorial Assistant at Hodder &
Staughton, working on fiction, non-fiction
TV tie-ins and audiobooks.
The first book she acquired was
a cookbook, and she was then promoted
to non-fiction editor, before it
became obvious to herself and to
her bosses that she was, in fact,
mostly acquiring novels. She
then became Editorial Director of
Sceptre, Hodder & Staughton's
award-winning literary imprint,
where she acquired and edited authors
such as Jasper Fforde, Mil Millington,
Carolyn Parkhurst, Gregory Norminton
and Tariq Goddard. In June
2003 she moved to Weidenfeld &
Nicholson, where she now runs the
literary fiction list. Her
authors include Michel Houellebecq,
Boris Akunin, Belle de Jour, Gideon
Defoe and Ben Richards.
Gerard
Donovan born in Wexford
and grew up in Galway. His collections
are Columbus Rides Again (The Cliffs
of Moher, Co Clare, Salmon, 1992);
Kings and Bicycles (Salmon, 1995);
and The LightHouse (Salmon, 2000),
which was short listed for the Irish
Times Literature Prize. His novel,
Schopenhauer's Telescope (New York,
Perseus Publishing/ London, Scribner,
2003), was long listed for the Man
Booker Prize, 2003. In 1999 he completed
the 140-mile Marathon des Sables
in North Africa with his two brothers,
later the subject of an award-winning
documentary. After a career playing
classical guitar in the eighties,
he currently works as a professor
in New York.
Karl
Iagnemma was overall winner
of the Fish Short Story Prize 1997
with his story Dog Days. His book
of short stories, On the Nature
of Human Romantic Interaction, was
published in 2003 by the Dial Press.
The book's title story is currently
being developed as a feature film
by Warner Brothers Pictures. Karl's
short stories have received numerous
awards, including the Paris Review
Plimpton Prize, first place in the
Playboy college fiction contest,
and grants from the National Endowment
for the Arts and the Massachusetts
Cultural Council. His writing has
appeared in Tin House, SEED, One
Story, and Zoetrope, and been anthologized
in the Best American Short Stories,
The Best American Erotica, and Pushcart
Prize collections. Karl currently
works as a research scientist in
the mechanical engineering department
at the M.I.T. He's completing a
novel about an ill-fated scientific
expedition to upper Michigan in
the 1840s.
The Rules
- No entry form is needed.
- The Prize is open to writers of any nationality writing in English.
- There is no restriction on theme or style.
- Maximum 5,000 words.
- The winning stories must be available for the anthology and, therefore, must not have been published previously.
- Copyright returns to the author year after publication.
- Notification of receipt of entry will normally be by email.
- The judges' verdict is final.
- No correspondence will be entered into once work has been submitted
- Stories cannot be altered or changed after they have been entered.
Entry Fees
The cost of an On-line entry is fixed in Euro and the translation into your local currency will be done automatically by your credit card company according to the current exchange rate.
The cost of Postal entry will be at a fixed rate in Euro, Pounds Sterling and US Dollars.
On-Line Entries
On-line entries will only be accepted
if entered through our website.
Please do not send stories as email
attachments.
PLEASE ENSURE THE TITLE OF THE STORY APPEARS AT THE BEGINING OF THE FIRST PAGE. PLEASE DO NOT PUT YOUR NAME ON THE STORY. YOUR STORY IS AUTOMATICALLY LINKED TO YOUR NAME.
| On-Line
Entry € |
|
| Per Entry | 20.00 |
| Critique (Optional) | 45.00 |
| 2006 Short Story Anthology (Optional) (Inc. p. & p.) |
10.00 |
Postal Entries
Stories entered by post must be submitted with a min. 12pt font, minimum 1.5 spacing and printed on one side of the paper only. PLEASE DO NOT PUT YOUR NAME ON THE STORY. INCLUDE ALL CONTACT DETAILS ON A SEPARATE SHEET. Include email where possible. Stories will not be returned unless a Critique .
Include a cheque, made payable
to 'Fish Publishing', in your local
currency to cover the cost of all
your requirements. We also accept
postal orders from Ireland and the
UK.
| Postal
Entry € |
Postal
Entry £ |
Postal
Entry US$ |
|
| Per Entry | 20.00 | 15.00 | 30.00 |
| Critique (Optional) | 45.00 | 30.00 | 70.00 |
| 2006 Short Story Anthology (Optional) (inc p. & p.) |
10.00 | 8.00 | 15.00 |
Postal entries should be sent to:
Fish Publishing,
Durrus,
Bantry,
Co. Cork,
Ireland.
(There is no postal or ZIP code). If receipt of entry, notification
of results, or response to any other enquiry is required other than
by email, then please send a Stamped Self-Addressed Envelope if posting
from within Ireland, or International Reply Coupons if writing from
any other country.
List of winners and short lists
A writer from New Zealand has won the Fish International Short Story Prize for the first time in its 12-year history. Katie Henderson , from Auckland, wins €10,000 with her story " Grandmother, Girl, Wolf ", which will also be the title story of the 2006 Fish Anthology of Short Stories.
Clem Cairns, Director of Fish Publishing, says he has been astounded this year, as always, by the high standard of writing. "It is an honour to be able to publish such excellent stories, all of which will do a great deal to raise the standing of the short story in the literary world".
The prize giving and award ceremony will take place in Bantry on 3
July during the West Cork Literary Festival. The winning author will
be travelling from Auckland to receive her prize. On hearing of her
success Katie said: " My heartfelt thanks to Fish and those lovelylovelylovely
judges, who, due to your impartial judging process, chose a wee mother
of three from the Antipodes to carry off the most prestigious short
story prize known to literarykind. I am totally stunned and thrilled.
And honoured to become a member of the Universal Fish Family".
In second place is Amy Sackville from Durham, England with her story
" Beach ". She wins a week at the Anam
Cara Writers' & Artists Retreat in West Cork's Beara Peninsula,
plus up to €250 travelling expenses.
Third place goes to Courtney Zoffness from Tucson, USA, with her story " Counterparts ". She wins €250.
The other 12 finalists who will be published in the Anthology are listed
here in alphabetical order.
Margaret Ahmed, Clacton-on-Sea, England - Cries From The Heart
Chris Barnham, London, England - One Love
Martin H. Bott, Edinburgh, Scotland - Thank You
Jason Brown, Tuscon, USA - Trees
Robert Dailey, Santa Fe, USA - Black Blood
Christine Donovan, Southampton, England - Magic Wand
Owen Egerton, Austin, USA - Christmas
Alexandra Fox, Hackleton, England - The Poisoned Well
Sean Lusk, Haywards Heath, England - Someone to Watch Over You
Deborah McCutchen, Shelburne Falls, USA - The Glass Bitch Defines An
Atomic Age
Erin Soros, New Hampshire, USA - The Chorus
Jacqueline Winn, Possum Brush, Australia - Salt & Pepper
Jacob M. Appel from Scarsdale, USA will be included in the Anthology as an Editor's Choice, with his story The Butcher's Music.
The Fish Short Story Prize finalists were selected from the following
writers. There are 44 stories in the list out of 1,800 entries. Some
writers have two stories through. Congratulations to all. It is a very
fine achievement to have got this far in the Fish Short Story Prize.
The authors are listed in alphabetical order.
Margaret Ahmed - Cries From The Heart
Jacob M. Appel - The Butcher's Music (Withdrawn)
Ginny Baily - Junction
Chris Barnham - One Love
Chris Barnham - Spiderman's Sister
Martin Bott - Thank You
Tim Boyce - Mind Song
Jason Brown - Trees
Anthony Butten - 1954
Jo Campbell - The Science of Jam
Jo Campbell - The Hoopoe
Robert Dailey - Black Blood
Edward Rodney Davey - The Uneasiness of Shadows
Christine Donovan - All The Lies I Can Tell Myself
Christine Donovan - Magic Wand
Owen Egerton - Christmas
Owen Egerton - Tonight At Noon
Tim Foley - Stone Ache
Alexandra Fox - The Things She Carried
Alexandra Fox - The Poisoned Well
Alyson Hallett - Jacques Cousteau and the Forgotten Twin
Katie Henderson - Grandmother, Girl, Wolf
Mary Ann Hushlak - Ichh, She's A Barbarian
Phil Jell - Sylvie and the Fucking Machine
E. Lambert - Tea Leaves
Sean Lusk - Someone to Watch Over You
Rita Maricone - The Appraisal
Deborah McCutchen - The Glass Bitch Defines An Atomic Age
Andrew F. McGuinness - Kafka's Chair
Morag McIntyre Hadley - White Lilac
Alan McMonagle - The Girl Who Liked Words
Elizabeth Oness - Protect and Serve
Stef Pixner - The Window Kisser
Mike Rahr - Dark Matter
Sal Romaguera - Bahala
Tony Rogers - The Smell of Drying Leaves
Elizabeth Saas - The Most Beautiful Girl in the World
Amy Sackville - Beach
Erin Soros - The Chorus
John Tait - Reasons for Concern Regarding My Girlfriend of Five Days,
Monica Garza
Tobias Williams - Jamie Hawkins' Muse
Jacqueline Winn - Salt and Pepper
Courtney Zoffness - Counterparts
The Short List above was selected from the following Long List . The
authors are listed in alphabetical order. Well done to all.
Jon Adams - The Point Man
Margaret Ahmed - Cries From The Heart
Greg Allum - Corridors of Love
Jacob M. Appel - The Butcher's Music
Ginny Baily - Junction
Chris Barnham - One Love
Chris Barnham - Spiderman's Sister
Paul Bassett Davies - Unknown Bulky Contents
Anthony Beck - Hair
Judy Birkbeck - Danny's Bear
Peter Bishop - The Clock
Gabriela Blandy - The Time It Takes
Martin Bott - Thank You
Tim Boyce - Mind Song
Elizabeth Bradley - Home Is Where The Heart Is
Richard Bright - White Room
Hanako Brown - Flight 167
Jason Brown - Trees
Jason Brown - Launching
Kate Brown - Foxy
Finbarr Buckley - The Mad Mullah
Anthony Butten - 1954
Ellie Campbell - Yahoo!
Jo Campbell - The Science of Jam
Jo Campbell - The Hoopoe
Jo Cannon - Eye of the Storm
Geoffrey Carpenter - Tell Me You're Not Dreaming
Robert Carroll - Homesickness
Hester Casey - A Thing of Beauty
Lee Charlish - The Swollen Secret
Cliff Chen - Small Print
Fiona Clark - Echlin Cloudy
Sheila Corbishley - The Brothers O'Malley
Frank Cotter - Pestle and Mortar
Felicity Cowie - Power
Felicity Cowie - Donation
Robert Dailey - Black Blood
Eleanor Darkwa - The Doctor's Wife
Andrew Darling - The Stronghold
Edward Rodney Davey - The Uneasiness of Shadows
Linda Jane Davies - Not Appropriate
John Domini - Travelers' Lounge on the Red-Eye
Jennifer Donnelly - Still Life With Hermes
Christine Donovan - All The Lies I Can Tell Myself
Christine Donovan - Magic Wand
Owen Egerton - Tonight At Noon
Owen Egerton - Christmas
Barbara Ennis Price - The Little Red Women
Michael J. Farrel - Not There Yet
Alyn Fenn - Thirteen Weeks
Ivan Fehrenbach - Whores and Trampolines
Tim Foley - Stone Ache
Christine Foster - The Romantics
Alexandra Fox - The Poisoned Well
Alexandra Fox - The Things She Carried
Janice Freegard - Tattooed Ladies
Emily Gale - Somebody's Daughter
Sean Gallagher - Malachy's Improbable Message
Liz Gallois - My Bald Head
Sioghan Galvin - The Insurance Man and the Hairdresser
Alyson Hallett - Jacques Cousteau and the Forgotten Twin
Les Hannan - City of Light
Mike Harding - A Dream of Fair Horses
Ruth M. Harris - The Rope Museum
Jennifer Harvey - Found Things
Neil Hegarty - The Fall of Saigon
Katie Henderson - Grandmother, Girl, Wolf
Janey Huber - Who Is To Blame?
Mary Ann Hushlak - Ichh, She's A Barbarian
Tony Irvin - The Bracelet
Phil Jell - Sylvie and the Fucking Machine
Bronia Kita - Carpe Diem
Bernadette Klubb - Interfaces (a love story)
Susan Knight - The Optimist
Caroline Koeppel - Josephine and Anita
E. Lambert - Tea Leaves
Brendan Lawlor - Going Home
Peter Loftus - Ong Phi's Hostel
Sean Lusk - Someone To Watch Over You
Nicholas Marland - Confined Spaces
Rita Maricone - The Appraisal
James Martyn - Parktown Prawns
Mo McAuley - Something Has To Happen
Maureen McCafferty - Your Acquaintance With Grief
Deborah McCutchen - The Glass Bitch Defines An Atomic Age
Kevin McDermott - A Matter of Urgency
Andrew F. McGuinness - Kafka's Chair
Morag McIntyre - Hadley White Lilac
Belinda McKeon - - Seven Easy Pieces
Alan McMonagle - The Girl Who Liked Words
Bryan Meckley - Controlled Burn
Merli Melwani - A Forgotten Town
Jonathan Mendelsohn - Last Train to Takaranzuka
Jonathan Mitchell - Kasperskian Thought Experiment No. 7
Mary Mullen - Signing
Kathleen Murray - Elephant Boy
Tom Murray - Ghosts Inside My Head
Paul Nelson - The Refrigerator Church
Nuala Ni Chronchur - Amazing Grace
Jaki Nicholls - Snapshots
Dorene O'Brien - Way Past Taggin'
Elizabeth Oness - Protect and Serve
Fergus O'Reilly - Sotto Voce
Sarah Oswald - DripDripDrip
Brendan Park - With the Sky as Witness
Anne Leigh Parrish - Snow Country
Gina R. Perfetto - The Nature of Dogs & Hitchhikers
Gina R. Perfetto - The Coming of Zar
Gina R. Perfetto - One Spooky Kid
Jean Pickering - Consanguinity
Stef Pixner - The Window Kisser
Leanne Radojkovich - Little
Elske Rahill Magdalene
Mike Rahr - Dark Matter
Kate Rigby - On Reaching Your Half Century
Anne Ring - Another Way
Tony Rogers - The Smell of Drying Leaves
Sal Romaguera - Bahala
Leone Ross - President Daisy
Joyce Russell - We All Fall Down
Elizabeth Saas - The Most Beautiful Girl in the World
Amy Sackville - Beach
Emma Sawyer - Knife-edge TV
Cherise Saywell - Ghost Train
Richard Scarsbrook - Grum and Grunt
Richard Scarsbrook - Bloody Tourists
Brenda Sekhar - Other Moons
Melanie Siemens - Nobody Here But Us Humans
Laura Solomon - Alternative Medicine
Erin Soros - The Chorus
Kathleen Spivack - From The Window
Lindsay Stanberry-Flynn - Turnip Soup
Matthew Stuart - The Devotion of El Nino Fidencio
Sheela Sukumaran - An Incomplete Circle
Vic Svec - Fifteen
John Tait - Reasons for Concern Regarding My Girlfriend of Five Days,
Monica Garza
Stephen Toomey - Do Not Disturb: Disturbed Enough Already
Kremorn Trose - Hope Springs Eternal
Shubha Venugopal - Lolita and the Bunyan Tree
Clyde Phillip - Wachsberger Bee Sting
Laci Watkins - The Exchange
Anna Whitwham - Taban's Kitchen
Susan Williams - Genuinely Shitty Things
Tobias Williams - Jamie Hawkins' Muse
Jessi Wilson - Far From Unbeautiful
Elaine Winer - The Heaven You Dream About
Jacqueline Winn - Salt and Pepper
James Young - The Psychological Benefits of Exercise
Courtney Zoffness - Counterparts
Short Stories to read online
Read online some of the winning entries from previous Fish Anthologies. These are examples of the calibre that win the Fish Short Story Prize. Short Stories to read online
Writing Short Stories
Our new Writing feature provides some suggestions on the art of story writing. The page is designed to provide writers with on-going, constructive information about how other authors achieved success with writing short fiction. For more information visit our Writing Short Stories page.
Online Book Shop
You can buy Fish Publishing's Anthologies of short stories on-line in our online book shop – The Fish Shop.
Online Entry
Our Fish-On-Line online entry system provides a convenient way to enter our contests on the web. Register as an online Fish author and you can enter current and forthcoming Writing Contests. Writers may also enter any of our competitions by post. See our Writing Contests page for full details
Writing Contests - Assistance
Fish Publishing offers an Editorial Consultancy and Critique Service. designed to provide writers thinking of entering writing competitions with constructive feedback on their work, whether it is a complete novel or just the beginnings. The Service is available to writers prior to entering the Fish writing competitions.