Lauren Layfield presents this year's special showcase of the five shortlisted stories for the 2025 BBC Young Writers' Award.

Alongside the 20th anniversary of the National Short Story Award, this year's BBC Young Writers’ Award with Cambridge University is open to all writers between the ages of 14 –18 and was created to discover and inspire the next generation of writers. It is a cross-network collaboration between BBC Radio 4 and Radio 1. The winner receives a personalised mentoring session with an author to enhance their writing skills.

Listen now to the whole 2025 BBC Young Writers’ Award shortlist.

Podcast produced by Ellie Marsh and Bethany Woodhead

Have you got a story tell? Submissions will open again in the new year for the 2026 Award - keep a look out!

Ashley Margolis reads Ghost Kitchen by Ross Raisin, the fifth story shortlisted for the 2024 BBC National Short Story Award, followed by an interview with the author on BBC Radio 4's Front Row

Podcast presented and produced by Rick Woska

Paterson Joseph reads Nice Dog by Vee Walker, the fourth story shortlisted for the 2024 BBC National Short Story Award, followed by an interview with the author on BBC Radio 4's Front Row

Podcast presented and produced by Rick Woska

Rebekah Staton and Hasan Dixon read Pieces by Manish Chauhan, the third story shortlisted for the 2024 BBC National Short Story Award, followed by an interview with the author on BBC Radio 4's Front Row

Podcast presented and produced by Rick Woska

Mark Strong reads The Barber of Erice by Will Boast, the second shortlisted story for the 2024 BBC National Short Story Award, followed by an interview with the author on BBC Radio 4's Front Row

Podcast presented and produced by Rick Woska

Lisa Dwyer Hogg reads Hamlet, a Love Story by Lucy Caldwell, the first shortlisted story for the 2024 BBC National Short Story Award, followed by an interview with the author on BBC Radio 4's Front Row

Podcast presented and produced by Rick Woska

Katie Thistleton presents a showcase of the five shortlisted stories for this year's BBC Young Writers' Award.

Celebrating its tenth anniversary this year, the BBC Young Writers’ Award with Cambridge University is open to all writers between the ages of 14 –18 and was created to discover and inspire the next generation of writers. It is a cross-network collaboration between BBC Radio 4 and Radio 1. The winner receives a personalised mentoring session with an author to enhance their writing skills.

The 2024 BBC Young Writers’ Award shortlist with Cambridge University is:

‘A Human, a Robot and a Gosling Walk into a Post-Apocalyptic Bar’ by Basmala Alkhalaf

Podcast produced by Rick Woska

A specially commissioned short story for BBC Radio 4 by the award-winning Lottie Mills. In this fantastical tale, a strange illness takes hold of those living at the Saint Francis Invalid Colony...

Lottie Mills won the BBC Young Writers Award in 2020, and her debut collection, Monstrum is published in 2024. In her stories, Lottie delights in the uncanny, the unusual and the unique power of outsiders.

Reader: Hayley Atwell

Podcast presented and produced by Rick Woska

A specially commissioned story from BBC NSSA 2023 shortlistee, Cherise Saywell.

Reader: Katie Leung

Podcast presented and produced by Rick Woska

A newly commissioned story from Roddy Doyle, author of The Commitments and the 1993 Booker Prize winner, Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha.

Read by Liam Carney

Podcast presented by Rick Woska