Totnes writer Tom Vowler has been shortlisted for the prestigious V.S. Pritchett Short Story Prize at the annual ALCS Awards.

The winner will be revealed at a ceremony in London on Thursday, February 22.

he V.S. Pritchett Short Story Prize is an annual award for unpublished short stories between 2,000 to 4,000 words in length. It was founded by the Royal Society of Literature in 1999 to commemorate the centenary of the renowned 20th century author.

Hudge Juliet Jacques said: “I was so impressed with the quality and variety of this year’s entries, and choosing a shortlist was not easy. In the end, we managed to pick a seven-story shortlist that I think reflects the high standard and range, and which makes me feel hopeful about the current state of the British short story.”

Judge Julia Armfield said: “The range and variety of tones and genres on display with this year’s entries was extremely exciting and it was a struggle to whittle down a shortlist. I hope that the stories we have selected go some way to reflecting a breadth of interests and voices and the fantastically varied nature of short story writing today.”

The awards website said: “Voyagers is clean and balanced, combining science and romance with flair and intelligence” – Julia Armfield

Tom Vowler a university lecturer with a PhD in creative writing, his work has featured on BBC radio and been translated into multiple languages. His forthcoming sixth book is a collection of flash fiction and he’s working on a memoir.