The Story Prize announces 2014 finalists

The three finalists for the 2014 Story Prize were announced Monday morning. Now in its 11th year, the Story Prize awards $20,000 for a collection of short fiction -- twice the amount of the National Book Award. The two runners-up each recieve $5,000.

This year, the finalists are Elizabeth McCracken’s “Thunderstruck,” Francesca Marciano’s “The Other Language” and “Bark” by Lorrie Moore.

“These three collections stood out for their distinctive voices, careful attention to detail, depth of feeling, and consistently engaging stories,” said Larry Dark, director of the Story Prize, in a statement. “Francesca Marciano, Elizabeth McCracken, and Lorrie Moore each published books this year that we believe will be read for many years to come. We’re excited to have such exceptional short story collections as finalists.”

The three books were selected from a record-setting 129 submissions from 85 imprints and publishers.

It’s the second time in the prize’s history that all three books selected as finalists have been written by women.

The Story Prize also announced its Spotlight Award, for an additional collection deserving special attention, goes this year to “Praying Drunk” by Kyle Minor.

The Story Prize will be presented at a reading and ceremony in New York on March 4.

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