PEN Changes Bingham Prize to Award Short Story Collections Only
The PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize, which previously recognized debut novels in addition to debut fiction collections, will be converted to a prize only for short fiction. It will be awarded for the first time in its new form at the 2019 PEN America Literary Awards in February 2019, and is the first and only prize for a debut short story collection in the United States, PEN America has announced.
Founded in 2002 in honor of the late Robert W. Bingham—novelist, short story writer, co-founder of Open City Books, and advocate of the short form—the PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize comes with a cash prize of $25,000. The change comes following the unification of PEN America's New York-based literary awards and its sister awards programs in Los Angeles and Boston.
As a result, the PEN/Hemingway Award for Debut Novel, awarded annually in a ceremony at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston, will be PEN America’s flagship prize celebrating longform debut fiction. The PEN/Hemingway Award also comes with a $25,000 purse.
