The second Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award will be made in September 2006 at the Frank O'Connor International Short Story Festival in Cork, Ireland. The prize is for 35,000 euros (approx US$42,500). When inaugurated in 2005 it was envisioned that the award would be for 50,000 euros given biannually. It has now been decided to award 35,000 euros annually, Eligible books are those by living authors, published for the first time, in English anywhere in the world, between October 2005 and September 15th 2006 (selecteds, collecteds or books containing stories published in a previous volume of stories by the author will not be eligible). Translations are eligible. If a translation wins, the prize will be split evenly between translator and original author. Books must be entered by their publishers by March 20th 2006. The names of the jury and the longlist will be announced on March 31st. Books scheduled for publication between April and September can be submitted in bound-proof form. Seven copies are required for entry. In mid July a shortlist of four titles will be announced. Publishers will be contacted in early July and authors will have ten days to accept their position on the shortlist. Only authors who commit to attending the awards ceremony in Cork, Ireland in September 2006 will be deemed to have accepted a shortlist position. The Munster Literature Centre organisors of the prize will pay for hotel and economy travel expenses of shortlisted authors. Shortlisted authors will also be offered a fee of 500 euros if they agree to read at the Frank O'Connor International Short Story Festival.
The winner of the inaugural award in 2005 was Yiyun Li of China and the United States for her debut collection A Thousand Years of Good Prayers published by Random House US.
Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award
