Announcing the LONGLIST!
The stories that made our Short Story Award 2026 longlist
We are honoured and delighted to bring you the longlist for this year’s Short Story Award. If you made the list then take a bow. We were inundated with entries, and competition was stiff, so making the list is a real achievement!
Now we face the difficult task of selecting the shortlisted and highly commended stories from those below. We’ll be in touch with you very soon, so keep an eye on your emails over the next 48 hours. In the meantime, feel free to shout about the good news on socials - and remember to tag us so we can repost!
THE FRAZZLED LIT SHORT STORY AWARD 2026 LONGLIST
2006
45 Providence Square
A Donation Made in the Name of Christina Harrison
Abroad
Adam’s Time
Beatrice is Malfunctioning
Biker Jesus
But I Love You Still
Chanterelles
Could Be Worse
Exposure
Failed Exchange
Fintan
Five Pounds of Glass
Girls with Ponies
Gone are the Days
Grove Boot Boys and Raleigh Choppers
How To Humanely Euthanise a Goldfish
Hy-Brasil
I Also Ran
I’m the reason the sea is mad
Imaginary People
Inscriptions on the Forehead
IVF This
June Bank Holiday
Lamingtons in Nine Pieces, Scattered
Learning to See
Metamorphosis the Hard Way
Mexican Orange Blossom
Never One for Goodbyes
Nicknames of handsome men
Nina Lafeber Doesn’t Exist
No One Told Me Mice Had Teeth
Not the Chosen One
One Of The Team
Paris
People I Never Met
Safe as houses
So Much Sky
Song of a Black Swan
So this is Christmas?
The Deep End
The Disciple
The far away hills
The Known Soldier
The Ladies on O’Curry Street
The Performance
The Shoe Factory
The Stone House On Green Rolling Hills
The Thorn Tree
The Understudy
The Undertaker
This thing called E
This Way
Vietnam
We Take Whoever Comes
What Happens After Dark
Worlds where all that did not happen
Wrong Turn
By now, you should have received an initial response from us regarding your submission to the Frazzled Lit Short Story Award 2026. If you haven’t, please check your Spam folder, or email us at frazzledlitmag@gmail.com to let us know.
Great news for the writers on this longlist being selected among many entries is already a meaningful achievement. Short story awards like this show how powerful a few thousand words can be when they capture a unique perspective, emotion, or human truth. Which title from this longlist would you be most curious to read first?
Congratulations to all!