History of the Asham Award

The Asham Award was set up by the Asham Literary Endowment trust in 1995 to encourage and promote new writing. It is open to women over 18 of any nationality, provided they are resident in the United Kingdom and have not previously had a novel or a book of short stories published. The prize money totals over £3,000. There is no set theme.

It is the only short story competition whose winners and runners-up are published alongside some of our best known women writers. Past collections have included specially commissioned stories by Carol Shields, Michèle Roberts, Barbara Trapido, Patricia Duncker, Helen Simpson, Helen Dunmore, Deborah Moggach and A.L. Kennedy. Between 700 and 950 writers enter each Asham award.

Winners will also receive advice from novelist Kate Pullinger, editor of the third and fourth Asham collections, and be invited to take part in a programme of workshops to develop their writing.

The prize is offered every two years.

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Asham winners and commissioned writers 1997 - 2007

2007  Is This What You Want?
Edited by Kate Pullinger
Bloomsbury

Anna Britten  The Girl from the Dotcom
Brenda Eisenberg  Under the Black Hat
Katie Barron The Chicken and the Lettuces
Emma Handerson  A L'Ombre
Gabi McEwen  Rise Above It
Janey Huber  The Serpent's Child   (Third Prize)
Kathryn Simmonds  Pentecost
Lois McEwan  Mrs Laidlaw's Event Horizon   (Second prize)
Maire Cooney   Is This What You Want?
Marian Garvey   All That's Left   (First prize)
Miriam Moss  Looking In
Victoria Marvin  Honey Storms

Commissioned stories
Rachel Cusk   Thirst
Patricia Duncker  Doubling Up
Tessa Hadley   Pretending
Nancy Lee  We Three Kings
Emily Perkins  How Do You Tell When a Person's Broken?
Kate Pullinger  In Lieu of Parenting 

2006  Don't Know a Good Thing
Edited by Kate Pullinger
Bloomsbury

Vale Benson Initation at Graaff-Reinet
Jessica Bowman Don’t Know a Good Thing
Carys Davies Hwang
Kim Fleet Winnebago Nomad
Alexandra Fox Rounding the Corner
Bridget Fraser Threads
Tara Gould The Turnover Bridge
Francesca Kay Holding the Baby
Annie Kirby The Wing  (First Prize)
Romi Jones Eminem and the Virgin Mary
Sally Hinchcliffe In Heaven there is no Beer
Lianne Kolirin Elvis has Entered the Building

Commissioned stories
Trezza Azzopardi Remnants
Louise Doughty Into Each Heart
Helen Dunmore With Shackleton
Helen Simpson Up at a Villa
Lynne Truss Good Dog
Marina Warner After the Fox

2004
Shoe Fly Baby
Edited by Kate Pullinger
Bloomsbury

Naomi Alderman Gravity (Joint third prize)
Victoria Briggs Shoe Fly Baby (First prize)
Carey Jane Hardy Face to Face
Lucy Lepchani The Monarch (Second prize)
Morag Macinnes The Scotswoman’s Pillow book
Jane Maltby An Angel in the Garden
Morag McDowell Flowers in the Dark
Rachael McGill Butter Fish Parrot Fish
Hannah Murgatroyd In the Forest, in the Field
Hilary Plews Victoria (Joint third prize)
Lisa Sabbage Elvis and the Mermaid
Valerie Thornton Or Maybe Gold

Commissioned stories

Lesley Glaister Rhinoceros
Lesley Jensen The Girl who Reversed Progress
Maggie O’Farrell The Problem with Oliver
Kamila Shamsie Horatio’s Story
Francine Stock Antechamber
Erica Wagner Miss Brooks

2000 Reshape Whilst Damp
Edited by Carole Buchan
Serpent's Tail

Ros Barber Reshape Whilst Damp      Second Prize
Clare Bayley Guatemala Moon       Joint third prize
Helen Cleary  Exposure
Harkiran Dhindsa  The Mixing of Mendhi
Vicky Grut  Downsizing
Sarah Johnson  Skin Sins
Ann Jolly     Girls in their Loveliness    First Prize
Marion Mathieu The Iron Claw
Aoi Matsushima The Professional Wedding Attendee     Joint third prize
Ruth Shabi  Anything you can Do

Commissioned stories
Elspeth Barker Dogs of Athens
Helen Dunmore The Lighthouse Keeper’s Wife
Kate Mosse Deptford Girls
Michele Roberts Monsieur Mallarmé Changes Names
Barbara Trapido Friends
Lynne Truss Year Zero

2002 Harlot Red
Edited by Carole Buchan and Kate Pullinger
Serpent's Tail

Jo Campbell Yanks
Tania Casselle Pat a Cake Pat a Cake (joint third prize)
Frances Childs Prospect House (first prize)
Fiona Curnow Killing Guinevere
Magi Gibson Harlot Red
Leila Keys Requiem
Linda Leatherbarrow Lost Boys
Rowena Macdonald Goin’ Dancin’ (joint third prize)
Ravia Marindo Jacob’s Tree
Jenny Mitchell The Master and the Maid (second prize)
Georgia Moseley The Night Shift
Ling E. Teo East Mountain’s all Borrowed Light

Commissioned Stories
Louise Doughty Generation
Patricia Duncker The Second Coming of Sara Montiel
A.L. Kennedy A Wrong Thing
Elene Lappin Trophy Widows
Kate Pullinger Fur Coats
Carol Shields Here’s


1997 The Catch
Edited by Carole Buchan
Serpents Tail

Cari Crook The Catch (First prize)
Cathy Cullis Moving Back
Olivia Davison Black Cherries
Catherine Eisner The Cheated Eye
Layn Feldman  Hetty Mayvern Decides
Ann Gilchrist The Sign
Clare Girvan The Drawing Room
Susan Holland Rhubarb
Leila Keys The Dance
Anne Summerfield The Velvet Maid
Erica Wagner Pyramid
Nargis Walker A Tower of Silence
Julia Widdows Ami de Maison

Commissioned stories
Kate Atkinson Inner Balance
Rachel Cusk Smoker
Louise Doughty Ocarina
Candia McWilliam With Every Tick of the Heart
Deborah Moggach How Are You?