Ten stories shortlisted for the RTÉ Short Story Competition will be read by actors on Radio 1’s Late Date from 19 October.
The broadcasts, hosted by Cathal Murray and Ray Cuddihy over two weeks, will be followed by a live Arena awards special from Poetry Ireland in Dublin at 7pm on Friday 30 October. Extracts from all ten stories will be read during the programme, with judges Aingeala Flannery, Tristan Rosenstock and Jan Carson discussing each before announcing the prizes.
The competition, established in 1986 in honour of writer and broadcaster Francis MacManus, marks its 40th anniversary this year. The shortlisted stories were selected from almost 2,500 entries and will be published online on 17 October, ahead of their radio broadcasts.
The shortlisted writers are Paul Edmondson, Jamie Samson, Cathy Shah, Alison Jameson, Alicia McAuley, John Armstrong, Stephanie O’Connor, John O’Donovan, Rónán Mac Con Iomaire and Kartikay Gupta.
Aingeala Flannery, who was previously a finalist, said: “The judging was blind and I am very curious to discover the identity of the writers behind these excellent stories.”
Sarah Binchy, the series producer, said: “We’re looking forward to sharing the stories with a wider audience on air and on the awards night.”
The winning writer will receive €5,000, with €4,000 and €3,000 going to the writers placed second and third. The seven other shortlisted writers will each receive €300.
