After much reading and lots of discussion we are now delighted to reveal the shortlisted authors for The Harry Bowling Prize for New Writing 2014!

Thank you again to everyone who took part in this year’s competition. As ever, the standard was impressively high and we’ve loved reading all your entries for the novel prize, which have ranged across all the genres, taken us to some fantastic and fantastical settings and introduced us to some great characters. We have also been wowed by the response we received for our new flash fiction category. Again, the standard was high and we’ve been amazed that so few words could have such emotional impact. So, without further ado, congratulations to:

Novel writing prize shortlist

Jo Barker Scott Cut Away My Shadow
Hillary Barmby From My Cold, Dead Hands
DIvya Ghelani Runaway
Daniel Knibb An Able Girl
Marion Oswald Henrietta Street and Death By Wounds
Charlotte Phillips A Closer Evil and Never Out Of Sight
Vanessa Savage The History Of You

Highly commended

Lucy Cant One Inch Galleon
Andrew Stevens The Poet

Flash fiction prize shortlist

Mary D’Arcy The Colour Blue
Daniel Knibb The Butcher
Liz Xifaras Motherhood

Our winners will be announced in March.