Jacques Tsiantar wins the Dinesh Allirajah Prize for Short Fiction

Jacques Tsiantar has won the £500 Dinesh Allirajah Prize for Short Fiction for his "uncanny" story, "Birds of our word". In an "incredibly competitive" year, the runners up are Jess Glaisher, who has been awarded second place for "Hairless", and Amy Lord, in third place for "Boxing day dip". 

The prize is run by Comma Press in partnership with the University of Central Lancashire, in memory of Comma’s late director and founding board member, the writer Dinesh Allirajah. Now in its seventh year, it is open to both published and unpublished writers of short fiction.

Judge David Hartley said of the winning story: "An exceptional piece of weirdness with a strange uncanny energy that I could not shake. It was a fresh and original take on the claustrophobic feeling of being alone with your thoughts while your inner life is being stripped bare."

Meanwhile, Monica Kam – who won the prize in 2023 – described "Birds of our word" as "brilliant, creepy and yet tender", and said that Tsiantar is "a writer with creativity, confidence and heart". 

A public prize-giving event took place online on 8th May, and included readings from the winning story, as well as feedback from the judges. The seven shortlisted stories will be published in a Comma Press e-book, which will be released shortly.

Tsiantar commented: "I’m so honoured to be part of such a wonderful shortlist, and being awarded first place is incredible. I’ve been following the prize for years and to have my writing recognised is such a privilege. This award will spur me forwards as I finish my debut novel and pour as much of myself as I can into the craft."