PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize for Debut Short Story Collection Award

The PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize for Debut Short Story Collection honors an exceptionally talented fiction writer whose debut book, a collection of short stories, represents distinguished literary achievement and suggests great promise for a second work of literary fiction. The winner will receive a $25,000 cash prize intended to allow significant time and resources with which to pursue subsequent work.

The PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize was established in memory of Robert W. Bingham, who died in 1999 at the age of 33, to commemorate his support of young writers, his love of literature, and his contribution to literary fiction.

All winners and finalists for this award are eligible to receive PEN America’s official winner or finalist seal.

• Eligibility 
  PLEASE NOTE: This prize will honor a debut writer’s short story collection, which is also the writer’s first published book.
• The candidate’s first (and only the first) collection of short fiction must have been published by a U.S. trade publisher between January 1, 2020 and December 31, 2020.
• Publishers may submit galleys or manuscripts for consideration if the book is not yet published.
• Candidates must be U.S. residents; American citizenship is not required.
• There are no restrictions on the candidate’s age or on the style of their work as long as it is a collection of individual short stories.
  If you submit a book for this award, you may not submit it for any additional PEN America Literary Award, with the exception of the PEN Open Book Award. Please note that the PEN/Faulkner Award is not considered a PEN America Literary Award.
• Self-published books are not eligible.