If you’re stuck for something to read, The 2015 Frank O’Connor International Short Story Prize longlist is a great place to start looking, with ninety books selected for the presitgious prize. Worth €25,000 to the winning author of a collection of short stories published for the first time, in English anywhere in the world, between July 2014 and June 2015 (selecteds, collecteds or books containing stories published in a previous volume of stories by the author will not be eligible), the award is in it’s eleventh year and is the single biggest prize in the world for a collection of short stories.

In honouring Cork’s literary genius Frank O’Connor, and its most famous short story writer, it is hoped this award will achieve international recognition for the short story and highlight Cork’s important contribution to this literary art form.

This major international prize celebrating the city’s intimate relationship with the short story was established as part of the literary programme of Cork’s tenure as European Capital of Culture. Since then it has made possible through the generous support of Cork City Council and the School of English, University College Cork

It is hoped the Award, for a complete collection of previously unpublished stories in a book collection, will play a significant role in establishing parity of esteem for the short story collection alongside the novel.

Judges this year were Ladette Randolph American novelist and editor-in-chief of Ploughshares, Clive Sinclair British novelist and Eibhear Walshe, Irish novelist and director of Creative Writing at the School of English, University College Cork. The shortlist will be decided towards the end of May and made public in early June.

The 16th Cork International Short Story Festival kicks off on the evening of Tuesday September 15th 2015. The full programme will be released in July.