This morning, The Story Prize—which seeks to recognize the best short story collection published every year—announced its three 2025 finalists, chosen from a total of 107 submissions. “Each of these three story collections is so original in conception and brilliantly executed that only the person who wrote them could have done so. Books like these demonstrate that the short story remains an elastic, vital, and dynamic literary form,” said Larry Dark, Director of the Story Prize, in a statement.
The winner will be announced at a private event on Tuesday, March 25, and will be awarded $20,000; each runner-up will receive $5,000.
The finalists are:
Fiona McFarlane, Highway Thirteen
FSG
Ruben Reyes Jr., There Is a Rio Grande in Heaven
Mariner Books
Jessi Jezewska Stevens, Ghost Pains
And Other Stories