Short Story Award Winner Announced

The winner of the Sunday Times EFG Private Bank Short Story Award 2012 was announced on Friday. The ceremony, which took place at the Sunday Times Literary Festival in Oxford, saw Irish writer Kevin Barry being crowned the winner.

The judging panel for the awards included Lord Melvyn Bragg, playwright Hanif Kureishi, and actor Ian Hart, as well as Joanna Trollope.

Barry’s short story, entitled Best Trip to Llandudno, beat the five other shortlisted authors to the prize of £30, 000. All the shortlisted writers win £1000 each, and the stories will be published in an anthology which will be available at Waterstones.

Judge Kureishi said:

“Our winning story performs a deft bit of alchemy, taking a very ordinary group of amateur ale connoisseurs and transforming them and their not instantly appealing tastes into something sweet, funny and unexpectedly moving. Barry follows the camaraderie and unique bond of these men on their train journey from Liverpool to Llandudno with a sensitivity that never transgresses into sentimentality.

It’s a beautifully constructed piece of writing that says something fresh about how men find comfort, support and humour in each other’s company. This is an astonishing story that is both daringly original and full of heart.”