O. Henry Award

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O. Henry Award

The O. Henry Award is the only yearly award given to short stories

Short story

The short story refers to a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, usually in narrative format. This format or medium tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels or books....
of exceptional merit. The award is named after the American

United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
master of the form, O. Henry

O. Henry

O. Henry was the pen name of United States writer William Sydney Porter . O. Henry short stories are known for wit, wordplay, warm characterization and clever twist endings....
.

The O. Henry Prize Stories is an annual collection of the year's twenty best stories published in U.S. and Canadian

Canada

Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
magazines, written in English.

The award itself is called the O. Henry Award, not the O. Henry Prize, though until recently there were first, second, and third prize winners; the collection is called The O.

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Encyclopedia

The O. Henry Award is the only yearly award given to short stories

Short story

United States

O. Henry

Canada

History and format

The award was first presented in 1919. As of 2003, the series editor chooses twenty short stories, each one an O. Henry Prize Story. All stories originally written in the English language and published in an American or Canadian periodical are eligible for consideration. Three jurors are appointed annually. The jurors receive the twenty prize stories in manuscript form, with no identification of author or publication. Each juror, acting independently, chooses a short story of special interest and merit, and comments on that story.

The goal of The O. Henry Prize Stories remains to strengthen the art of the short story. Starting in 2003, The O. Henry Prize Stories is dedicated to a writer who has made a major contribution to the art of the short story. The O. Henry Prize Stories 2007 was dedicated to Sherwood Anderson

Sherwood Anderson

Sherwood Anderson was an United States writer, mainly of short story, most notably the collection Winesburg, Ohio . That work's influence on American fiction was profound, and its literary voice can be heard in Ernest Hemingway, William Faulkner, Thomas Wolfe, John Steinbeck, Erskine Caldwell and others....
, a U.S. short-story writer. Jurors for 2007 were Charles D'Ambrosio

Charles D'Ambrosio

Charles D'Ambrosio is an American short story writer and essayist. He has published two collections of short stories, The Point and The Dead Fish Museum ....
, Lily Tuck

Lily Tuck

Lily Tuck is an United States novelist and short story writer whose novel The News from Paraguay won the 2004 National Book Award. Her novel Siam was nominated for the 2000 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction....
, and Ursula K. Le Guin

Ursula K. Le Guin

Ursula Kroeber Le Guin is an United States author. She has written novels, poetry, children's literature books, essays, and short story, most notably in the fantasy and science fiction genres....
.

The current series editor

Editing

Editing is the process of preparing language, s, sound, video, or film through correction, condensation, organization, and other modifications in various media....
for The O. Henry Prize Stories is Laura Furman

Laura Furman

Laura Furman is an United States author best known for her role as series editing for the O. Henry Awards prize story collection. Her work has appeared in The New Yorker, Mirabella, Ploughshares, Southwest Review, and elsewhere....
.

Juror favorites, first-prize winners

For more information or complete lists of yearly winners, visit the O. Henry Prize Stories website.

2008	Alexi Zentner: "Touch" in Tin House Tin House *Tin House* is an United States literary magazine and book publisher based in Portland, Oregon, Oregon and New York City. The Tin House journal was conceived in the summer of 1998 by Portland publisher Win McCormack.... Alice Munro Alice Munro Alice Ann Munro is a Canada short story writer and three-time winner of Canada's Governor General's Award for fiction. Her stories focus on human relationships looked at through the lens of daily life.... : "What Do You Want To Know For?" in The American Scholar The American Scholar (magazine) *The American Scholar* is the literary quarterly of the Phi Beta Kappa Society, founded in 1932. The journal has won four National Magazine Awards from the American Society of Magazine Editors: Essays, 1999 and 2003; General Excellence , 2000; Feature Writing, 2006.... William Trevor William Trevor Sir William Trevor, Order of the British Empire is an Ireland author and playwright.... : "Folie a Deux" in The New Yorker The New Yorker *The New Yorker* is an United States magazine that publishes reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Starting as a weekly in the mid-1920s, the magazine is now published 47 times per year, with five of these issues covering two-week spans....
2007	Eddie Chuculate: "Galveston Bay, 1826" in Manoa (journal) Manoa (journal) *Manoa: A Pacific Journal of International Writing* is an award-winning literary journal that includes American and international fiction, poetry, artwork, and essays of current cultural or literary interest.... , William Trevor William Trevor Sir William Trevor, Order of the British Empire is an Ireland author and playwright.... : "The Room" in The New Yorker The New Yorker *The New Yorker* is an United States magazine that publishes reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Starting as a weekly in the mid-1920s, the magazine is now published 47 times per year, with five of these issues covering two-week spans.... , May 16, 2005
2006	Edward P. Jones Edward P. Jones Edward P. Jones is an African American author and winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. Born in 1951, he was raised in Washington, D.C. and educated at both the College of the Holy Cross and the University of Virginia.... : "Old Boys, Old Girls" in The New Yorker The New Yorker *The New Yorker* is an United States magazine that publishes reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Starting as a weekly in the mid-1920s, the magazine is now published 47 times per year, with five of these issues covering two-week spans.... , May 3, 2004 Deborah Eisenberg Deborah Eisenberg Deborah Eisenberg is an Untied States short-story writer, actor and teacher.... : "Window" in Tin House Tin House *Tin House* is an United States literary magazine and book publisher based in Portland, Oregon, Oregon and New York City. The Tin House journal was conceived in the summer of 1998 by Portland publisher Win McCormack.... , Issue 19, Spring 2004 Alice Munro Alice Munro Alice Ann Munro is a Canada short story writer and three-time winner of Canada's Governor General's Award for fiction. Her stories focus on human relationships looked at through the lens of daily life.... : "Passion" in The New Yorker The New Yorker *The New Yorker* is an United States magazine that publishes reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Starting as a weekly in the mid-1920s, the magazine is now published 47 times per year, with five of these issues covering two-week spans.... , March 22, 2004
2005	Ruth Prawer Jhabvala Ruth Prawer Jhabvala Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, Order of the British Empire is a Booker Prize novelist, short story writer, and two-time Academy Awards screenwriter. She is perhaps best known for her long collaboration with Merchant Ivory Productions, made up of film director James Ivory and the late producer Ismail Merchant.... : "Refuge in London" in Zoetrope Zoetrope: All-Story *Zoetrope: All-Story* is an United States literary magazine that was launched in 1997 by Francis Ford Coppola. Blooming from Francis Coppola's "Crazy Idea Department," All-Story is devoted to showcasing the most promising voices in short-fiction.... , Vol. 7, No. 4, Winter 2003 Sherman Alexie Sherman Alexie Sherman Joseph Alexie, Jr. is an award-winning and prolific author and occasional comedian. Much of his writing draws on his experiences as a modern Native Americans in the United States.... : "What You Pawn I Will Redeem" in The New Yorker The New Yorker *The New Yorker* is an United States magazine that publishes reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Starting as a weekly in the mid-1920s, the magazine is now published 47 times per year, with five of these issues covering two-week spans.... , April 21, 2003 Elizabeth Stuckey-French: "Mudlavia" in The Atlantic Monthly The Atlantic Monthly *The Atlantic* is an United States magazine founded in Boston in 1857. Originally created as a literature and culture commentary magazine, its current format is of a general editorial magazine.... , Sept. 2003
2004	No edition
2003	Denis Johnson Denis Johnson Denis Johnson is an United States author who is best known for his short story collection Jesus' Son and his novel Tree of Smoke , which won the National Book Award.... : "Train Dreams" in The Paris Review Paris Review *The Paris Review* is an English-language literary magazine based in New York City. As its name suggests it was founded in Paris in 1953, for "the good writers and good poets, the non-drumbeaters and non-axe grinders.... , Summer 2002 A. S. Byatt A. S. Byatt Dame Antonia Susan Duffy, Order of the British Empire is an England novelist and poet. She is daughter of His Honour John Frederick Drabble, QC and late Kathleen Marie Bloor and is married to Peter Duffy.... : "The Thing in The Forest" in The New Yorker The New Yorker *The New Yorker* is an United States magazine that publishes reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Starting as a weekly in the mid-1920s, the magazine is now published 47 times per year, with five of these issues covering two-week spans.... , June 3, 2002
2002	Kevin Brockmeier Kevin Brockmeier Kevin Brockmeier is an United States writer of fantasy and literary fiction. His short stories have been printed in numerous publications and he has published two collections of stories, two children's novels, and two fantasy novels.... : "The Ceiling” in McSweeney's Timothy McSweeney's Quarterly Concern *Timothy McSweeney's Quarterly Concern* is a literary journal, first published in 1998, edited by Dave Eggers. The first issue featured only works rejected by other magazines, but thereafter the journal began to include pieces written with McSweeney's in mind.... , No. 7
2001	Mary Swan Mary Swan Mary Swan is a Canada novelist and short story writer. She is also a trained librarian with a keen eye for history. Her novel The Boys in the Trees, a shortlisted nominee for the 2008 Scotiabank Giller Prize.... : "The Deep” in The Malahat Review, No. 131
2000	John Edgar Wideman John Edgar Wideman John Edgar Wideman is an United States writer.... : "Weight” in The Callaloo Journal The Callaloo Journal *Callaloo* is an award-winning academic journal founded in 1976 at Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. It is considered by many to be the premier African and African-American literary journal printed in the English language.... , Vol. 22, No. 3
1999	Peter Baida: "A Nurse's Story” in The Gettysburg Review, Vol. 13, No. 3
1998	Lorrie Moore Lorrie Moore Lorrie Moore is an United states fiction writer known mainly for her humorous and poignant short story.... : "People Like That Are the Only People Here” in The New Yorker, January 27, 1997
1997	Mary Gordon Mary Gordon Mary Catherine Gordon is an United States writer and is the McIntosh Professor of English at Barnard College. She is best known for her novels, memoirs and literary criticism.... : "City Life” in Ploughshares Ploughshares *Ploughshares* is an United States literary journal published quarterly by Emerson College. The journal was founded in a bar by DeWitt Henry, a Harvard_University Ph.D.... , Vol. 22, No. 1
1996	Stephen King Stephen King Stephen Edwin King is an United States author of contemporary horror fiction, fantasy fiction and science fiction.Having sold an estimated List of bestselling fiction authors of his books, King is best known for his work in horror fiction, in which he demonstrates a thorough knowledge of the genre's history.... : "The Man in the Black Suit” in The New Yorker, October 31, 1994
1995	Cornelia Nixon Cornelia Nixon Cornelia Nixon is a poet, author, and educator. She is most well known for her literary works and critical writings. She has authored one novel, a collection of short stories, and has contributed to numerous periodicals.... : "The Women Come and Go” in New England Review New England Review The *New England Review* is a quarterly literary journal published by Middlebury College. Founded in New Hampshire in 1978 by poet, novelist, editor and professor Sydney Lea and poet Jay Parini, it was published as New England Review & Bread Loaf Quarterly from 1982 , until 1991 as a formal division of the Bread Loaf Writers' Conferenc... , Spring 1994
1994	Alison Baker: "Better Be Ready 'Bout Half Past Eight” in The Atlantic Monthly The Atlantic Monthly *The Atlantic* is an United States magazine founded in Boston in 1857. Originally created as a literature and culture commentary magazine, its current format is of a general editorial magazine.... , January 1993
1993	Thom Jones Thom Jones Thom Jones is an United States writer, primarily of short story.Jones was raised in Aurora, Illinois and attended the University of Hawaii where he played catcher on the baseball team.... : "The Pugilist at Rest” in The New Yorker, December 2, 1991
1992	Cynthia Ozick Cynthia Ozick Cynthia Ozick , is the daughter of William Ozick and Celia Regelson.She earned her B.A. from New York University and went on to study English Literature at Ohio State University, where she completed an M.A.... : "Puttermesser Paired” in The New Yorker, October 8, 1990
1991	John Updike John Updike John Hoyer Updike was an American novelist, poet, short story writer, art critic, and literary critic. Updike's most famous work is his Rabbit series .... : "A Sandstone Farmhouse” in The New Yorker, June 11, 1990
1990	Leo E. Litwak: "The Eleventh Edition” in TriQuarterly, No. 74, Winter 1989
1989	Ernest J. Finney: "Peacocks” in The Sewanee Review Sewanee Review *The Sewanee Review* is a literary magazine and academic journal founded in 1892 and the oldest continuously published periodical of its kind in the United States.... , Winter 1988
1988	Raymond Carver Raymond Carver Raymond Clevie Carver, Jr. was an American short story writer and poet. Carver is considered a major American writer of the late 20th century and also a major force in the revitalization of the short story in the 1980s.... : "Errand” in The New Yorker, June 1, 1987
1987	Louise Erdrich Louise Erdrich Karen Louise Erdrich, known as Louise Erdrich, is a Native Americans in the United States author of novels, poetry, and Children's literature.... : "Fleur” in Esquire Esquire (magazine) *Esquire* is a men's magazine by the Hearst Corporation with a strong literary tradition. Founded in 1933, it flourished during the Great Depression under the guidance of founder and editor Arnold Gingrich.... , August 1986 Joyce Johnson Joyce Johnson Joyce Johnson is an American author of fiction and nonfiction who won a National Book Critics Circle Award for her memoir Minor Characters about her relationship with Jack Kerouac.... : "The Children's Wing” in Harper's Magazine Harper's Magazine *Harper's Magazine* is a monthly, general-interest magazine of literature, politics, culture, finance, and the arts. It is the second-oldest, continuously-published monthly magazine in the U.S.; current circulation is more than 220,000 issues.... , July 1986
1986	Alice Walker Alice Walker Alice Malsenior Walker is an United States author, self-declared feminist and womanist?the latter a term she herself coined to make special distinction for the experiences of women of color.... : "Kindred Spirits” in Esquire, August 1985
1985	Stuart Dybek Stuart Dybek Stuart Dybek is an United States writer.... : "Hot Ice” in Antaeus Jane Smiley Jane Smiley Jane Smiley is a Pulitzer Prize-winning United States novelist.... : "Lily” in The Atlantic Monthly
1984	Cynthia Ozick Cynthia Ozick Cynthia Ozick , is the daughter of William Ozick and Celia Regelson.She earned her B.A. from New York University and went on to study English Literature at Ohio State University, where she completed an M.A.... : "Rosa” in The New Yorker, March 21, 1983 Gordon Lish Gordon Lish BiographyGordon Jay Lish is an United States writer. As a literary editor, he championed many American authors, particularly Raymond Carver, Barry Hannah, Amy Hempel, and Richard Ford.... : "For Jeromé—with Love and Kisses" in "The Antioch Review", Summer 1983, 1984
1983	Raymond Carver Raymond Carver Raymond Clevie Carver, Jr. was an American short story writer and poet. Carver is considered a major American writer of the late 20th century and also a major force in the revitalization of the short story in the 1980s.... : "A Small, Good Thing” in Ploughshares, Vol. 8, Nos. 2 & 3
1982	Susan Kenney: "Facing Front” in Epoch, Winter 1980
1981	Cynthia Ozick Cynthia Ozick Cynthia Ozick , is the daughter of William Ozick and Celia Regelson.She earned her B.A. from New York University and went on to study English Literature at Ohio State University, where she completed an M.A.... : "The Shawl” in The New Yorker, May 26, 1980
1980	Saul Bellow Saul Bellow Saul Bellow , was an acclaimed Canada-United States writer born in Canada of Russian-Jewish origin. He won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1976 and the National Medal of Arts in 1988.... : "A Silver Dish” in The New Yorker, September 25, 1978
1979	Gordon Weaver: "Getting Serious” in The Sewanee Review, Fall 1977 Anne Leaton Anne Leaton Anne Leaton is a novelist, short story writer, and poet whose works have been published in England and United States of America and whose radio plays have been broadcast on the BBC.... : "The Passion of Marco Z" in Transatlantic Review Transatlantic Review *Transatlantic Review*, founded and edited by Joseph F. McCrindle, was published in London and New York, although the first two issues were produced in Rome.... , 55/56
1978	Woody Allen Woody Allen Woody Allen is an Cinema of the United States film director, writer, actor, comedian, musician and playwright.Allen's distinctive films, which run the gamut from dramas to Screwball comedy film, have made him one of the most respected living American directors.... : "The Kugelmass Episode” in The New Yorker, May 2, 1977
1977	Shirley Hazzard Shirley Hazzard Shirley Hazzard is an author of fiction and non-fiction. She was born in Australia, but holds citizenship in Great Britain and in the United States.... : "A Long Story Short” in The New Yorker, July 26, 1976 Ella Leffland Ella Leffland Ella Leffland is an United States novelist and short story writer. Though the themes of her early works dealt with California, where she grew up, she is perhaps best known for her historic novel based on the life of Hermann G?ring, The Knight, Death, and The Devil, published in 1990.... : "Last Courtesies” in Harper's Magazine, July 1976
1976	Harold Brodkey Harold Brodkey Harold Brodkey, born Aaron Roy Weintraub was a Jewish American author.Brodkey was born in Staunton, Illinois and raised in University City, Missouri outside St.... : "His Son in His Arms, in Light, Aloft” in Esquire, August 1975
1975	Harold Brodkey Harold Brodkey Harold Brodkey, born Aaron Roy Weintraub was a Jewish American author.Brodkey was born in Staunton, Illinois and raised in University City, Missouri outside St.... : "A Story in an Almost Classical Mode” in The New Yorker, September 17, 1973 Cynthia Ozick Cynthia Ozick Cynthia Ozick , is the daughter of William Ozick and Celia Regelson.She earned her B.A. from New York University and went on to study English Literature at Ohio State University, where she completed an M.A.... : "Usurpation (Other People's Stories)” in Esquire, May 1974
1974	Renata Adler Renata Adler Renata Adler is an United States author, journalist and film critic.... : "Brownstone” in The New Yorker, January 27, 1973
1973	Joyce Carol Oates Joyce Carol Oates Joyce Carol Oates is an United States author. Raised in rural, working-class New York, Oates published her first book in 1963 and has since published over fifty novels, as well as many volumes of short stories, poetry, and non-fiction.... : "The Dead” in McCall's McCall's *McCall's* was a monthly United States women's magazine that enjoyed great popularity through much of the 20th century, peaking at a readership of six million in 1960.... , July 1971
1972	John Batki: "Strange-Dreaming Charlie, Cow-Eyed Charlie” in The New Yorker, March 20, 1971
1971	Florence M Hecht: "Twin Bed Bridge” in The Atlantic Monthly, May 1970
1970	Robert Hemenway Robert Hemenway Robert Emery Hemenway is the 16th and current chancellor of the University of Kansas . Hemenway arrived at KU in 1995 as the successor to interim chancellor, Del Shankel.... : "The Girl Who Sang with the Beatles” in The New Yorker, January 11, 1969
1969	Bernard Malamud Bernard Malamud Bernard Malamud was an author of novels and short stories. Along with Saul Bellow and Philip Roth, he was one of the great United States Jewish authors of the 20th century.... : "Man in the Drawer” in The Atlantic Monthly, April 1968
1968	Eudora Welty Eudora Welty Eudora Alice Welty was an award-winning American author and photographer who wrote about the Southern United States.... : "The Demonstrators” in The New Yorker, November 26, 1966
1967	Joyce Carol Oates Joyce Carol Oates Joyce Carol Oates is an United States author. Raised in rural, working-class New York, Oates published her first book in 1963 and has since published over fifty novels, as well as many volumes of short stories, poetry, and non-fiction.... : "In the Region of Ice” in The Atlantic Monthly, August 1966
1966	John Updike John Updike John Hoyer Updike was an American novelist, poet, short story writer, art critic, and literary critic. Updike's most famous work is his Rabbit series .... : "The Bulgarian Poetess” in The New Yorker, March 13, 1965
1965	Flannery O'Connor Flannery O'Connor Mary Flannery O'Connor was an United States novelist, short-story writer and essayist.... : "Revelation” in The Sewanee Review, Spring 1964
1964	John Cheever John Cheever John Cheever was an United States novelist and short story writer, sometimes called "the Anton Chekhov of the suburbs." His fiction is mostly set in the Upper East Side of Manhattan, the Westchester County, New York suburbs, and old New England villages based on various South Shore towns around Quincy, Massachusetts, where he was born.... : "The Embarkment for Cythera” in The New Yorker, November 3, 1962
1963	Flannery O'Connor Flannery O'Connor Mary Flannery O'Connor was an United States novelist, short-story writer and essayist.... : "Everything That Rises Must Converge” in New World Writing
1962	Katherine Anne Porter Katherine Anne Porter Katherine Anne Porter was a Pulitzer Prize-winning United States journalist, essayist, short story writer, novelist, and political activist. She is known for her penetrating insight; her works deal with dark themes such as betrayal, death and the origin of human evil.... : "Holiday” in The Atlantic Monthly, December 1960
1961	Tillie Olsen Tillie Olsen Tillie Lerner Olsen was an United States writer, associated with the political turmoil of 1930s and the first generation of American feminism.... : "Tell Me a Riddle” in New World Writing, No. 16
1960	Lawrence Sargent Hall Lawrence Sargent Hall Lawrence Sargent Hall was an American author.... : "The Ledge” in The Hudson Review, Winter, 1958-59
1959	Peter Taylor: "Venus, Cupid, Folly and Time” in The Kenyon Review The Kenyon Review *The Kenyon Review* is a Literary magazine based in Gambier, Ohio, United States, home of Kenyon College. The Review was founded in 1939 in literature by John Crowe Ransom, critic and professor of English at Kenyon College, who served as its editor until 1959 in literature....
1958	Martha Gellhorn Martha Gellhorn Martha Gellhorn was an United States novelist, travel writer and journalist, considered to be one of the greatest war correspondents of the 20th century.... : "In Sickness as in Health” in The Atlantic Monthly
1957	Flannery O'Connor Flannery O'Connor Mary Flannery O'Connor was an United States novelist, short-story writer and essayist.... : "Greenleaf” in The Kenyon Review
1956	John Cheever John Cheever John Cheever was an United States novelist and short story writer, sometimes called "the Anton Chekhov of the suburbs." His fiction is mostly set in the Upper East Side of Manhattan, the Westchester County, New York suburbs, and old New England villages based on various South Shore towns around Quincy, Massachusetts, where he was born.... : "The Country Husband” in The New Yorker
1955	Jean Stafford Jean Stafford Jean Stafford was an United States short story writer and novelist, who won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for The Collected Stories of Jean Stafford in 1970.... : "In the Zoo” in The New Yorker
1954	Thomas Mabry: "The Indian Feather” in The Sewanee Review
1951	Harris Downey: "The Hunters” in Epoch
1950	Wallace Stegner Wallace Stegner Wallace Earle Stegner was an United States historian, novelist, short story writer, and environmentalism, often called "The Dean of Western Writers".... : "The Blue-Winged Teal” in Harper's Magazine
1949	William Faulkner William Faulkner William Faulkner was a Nobel Prize in Literature-winning United States author. One of the most influential writers of the 20th century, his reputation is based on his novels, novellas and short story.... : "A Courtship” in The Sewanee Review
1948	Truman Capote Truman Capote Truman Capote was an United States writer whose short stories, novels, plays, and non-fiction are recognized literary classics, including the novella Breakfast at Tiffany's and In Cold Blood , which he labeled a "non-fiction novel".... : "Shut a Final Door” in The Atlantic Monthly
1947	John Bell Clayton John Bell Clayton and Martha Clayton John Bell Clayton was an American writer who won an O. Henry Award in 1947. His wife, Martha Carmichael Clayton , oversaw the posthumous publication of her husband's works; she was a sister of songwriter Hoagy Carmichael.... : "The White Circle” in Harper's Magazine
1946	John Mayo Goss: "Bird Song” in The Atlantic Monthly
1945	Walter Van Tilburg Clark Walter Van Tilburg Clark Walter Van Tilburg Clark was a writer of short stories, poetry and novels, best known for his first novel, the classic Western The Ox-Bow Incident and the classic short story "The Portable Phonograph".... : "The Wind and the Snow of Winter” in The Yale Review Yale Review The *Yale Review* is the self-proclaimed oldest literary magazine in the United States. It is published by Yale University.It was founded originally in 1819 as *The Christian Spectator, and renamed the Yale Review* in 1911 by its new editor, Wilbur Lucius Cross....
1944	Irwin Shaw Irwin Shaw Irwin Shaw was an American playwright, screenwriter, novelist, and short-story author.... : "Walking Wounded” in The New Yorker
1943	Eudora Welty Eudora Welty Eudora Alice Welty was an award-winning American author and photographer who wrote about the Southern United States.... : "Livvie is Back” in The Atlantic Monthly
1942	Eudora Welty Eudora Welty Eudora Alice Welty was an award-winning American author and photographer who wrote about the Southern United States.... : "The Wide Net” in Harper's Magazine
1941	Kay Boyle Kay Boyle Kay Boyle, born February 19, 1902 in St. Paul, Minnesota, United States ? died December 27, 1992 in Mill Valley, California, was an award-winning writer, educator, and political activist.... : "Defeat” in The New Yorker
1940	Stephen Vincent Benét Stephen Vincent Benét Stephen Vincent Ben?t was an American author, poet, short story writer, and novelist. Ben?t is best known for his book-length narrative poem of the American Civil War, John Brown's Body , for which he won a Pulitzer Prize in 1929, and for two short stories, The Devil and Daniel Webster and By the Waters of Babylon.... : "Freedom's a Hard-Bought Thing” in The Saturday Evening Post The Saturday Evening Post *The Saturday Evening Post* is today a bi-monthly magazine. While the publication traces its historical roots to Benjamin Franklin and Pennsylvania Gazette first published in 1728, The Saturday Evening Post, rechristened under new ownership, launched onto the American scene in 1821 as a four-page newspaper and eventually became t...
1939	William Faulkner William Faulkner William Faulkner was a Nobel Prize in Literature-winning United States author. One of the most influential writers of the 20th century, his reputation is based on his novels, novellas and short story.... : "Barn Burning” in Harper's Magazine
1938	Albert Maltz Albert Maltz Albert Maltz was an American author and screenwriter who was one of the Hollywood Ten who were blacklisted by the Hollywood movie studio bosses during the era of McCarthyism.... : "The Happiest Man on Earth” in Harper's Magazine
1937	Stephen Vincent Benét Stephen Vincent Benét Stephen Vincent Ben?t was an American author, poet, short story writer, and novelist. Ben?t is best known for his book-length narrative poem of the American Civil War, John Brown's Body , for which he won a Pulitzer Prize in 1929, and for two short stories, The Devil and Daniel Webster and By the Waters of Babylon.... : "The Devil and Daniel Webster” in The Saturday Evening Post
1936	James Gould Cozzens James Gould Cozzens James Gould Cozzens was a Pulitzer Prize for Fiction-winning United States of America novelist.He is often grouped today with his contemporaries John O'Hara and John P.... : "Total Stranger” in The Saturday Evening Post, February 15, 1936
1935	Kay Boyle Kay Boyle Kay Boyle, born February 19, 1902 in St. Paul, Minnesota, United States ? died December 27, 1992 in Mill Valley, California, was an award-winning writer, educator, and political activist.... : "The White Horses of Vienna” in Harper's Magazine
1934	Louis Paul: "No More Trouble for Jedwick” in Esquire
1933	Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings was an United States author who lived in rural Florida and wrote novels with rural themes and settings. Her best known work, The Yearling, about a boy who adopts an orphaned fawn, won a Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1939 and was later made into a movie, also known as The Yearling .... : "Gal Young Un” in Harper's Magazine, June & July 1932
1932	Stephen Vincent Benét Stephen Vincent Benét Stephen Vincent Ben?t was an American author, poet, short story writer, and novelist. Ben?t is best known for his book-length narrative poem of the American Civil War, John Brown's Body , for which he won a Pulitzer Prize in 1929, and for two short stories, The Devil and Daniel Webster and By the Waters of Babylon.... : "An End to Dreams” in Pictorial Review Pictorial Review Pictorial Review is a magazine which first appeared in September, 1899. The magazine was originally designed to showcase dress patterns of William Paul Ahnelt's American Fashion Company.... , February 1932
1931	Wilbur Daniel Steele Wilbur Daniel Steele Wilbur Daniel Steele was a U.S. author and playwright.His short stories are set in American locations and are often highly dramatic. Collections of his stories include The Man Who Saw through Heaven , Best Stories , and Full Cargo .... : "Can't Cross Jordan by Myself” in Pictorial Review
1930	W.R. Burnett: "Dressing-Up” in Harper's Magazine, November 1929 William H. John: "Neither Jew nor Greek” in Century Magazine Century Magazine Century Magazine is the sole student run magazine at the University of Utah. It is managed and staffed entirely by students and is funded through private donations which are matched by the University of Utah.... , August 1929
1929	Dorothy Parker Dorothy Parker Dorothy Parker was an American writer and poet, best known for her caustic wit, wisecracks, and sharp eye for 20th century urban foibles.From a conflicted and unhappy childhood, Parker rose to acclaim, both for her literary output in such venues as The New Yorker and as a founding member of the Algonquin Round Table, a group she later... : "Big Blonde” in Bookman Magazine, February 1929
1928	Walter Duranty Walter Duranty Walter Duranty was a Liverpool-born United Kingdom journalist who served as the New York Times Moscow bureau chief from 1922 through 1936.... : "The Parrot” in Redbook Redbook *Redbook* is an United States of America women's magazine published by the Hearst Corporation.... , March 1928
1927	Roark Bradford: "Child of God” in Harper's Magazine, April 1927
1926	Wilbur Daniel Steele Wilbur Daniel Steele Wilbur Daniel Steele was a U.S. author and playwright.His short stories are set in American locations and are often highly dramatic. Collections of his stories include The Man Who Saw through Heaven , Best Stories , and Full Cargo .... : "Bubbles” in Harper's Magazine
1925	Julian Street: "Mr. Bisbee's Princess” in Redbook, May 1925
1924	Inez Haynes Irwin Inez Haynes Irwin Inez Haynes Irwin was a feminist author, member of the National Women's Party, and president of the The Authors Guild. She died at age 97. ... : "The Spring Flight” in McCall's, June 1924
1923	Edgar Valentine Smith: "Prelude” in Harper's Magazine, May 1923
1922	Irvin S. Cobb Irvin S. Cobb Irvin Shrewsbury Cobb was an American author, humorist, and columnist who lived in New York and authored more than 60 books and 300 short stories.... : "Snake Doctor” in Cosmopolitan Cosmopolitan (magazine) *Cosmopolitan, also known as the Cosmo*, is the best-selling young women's magazine in the world. The content includes articles on relationships and sex, health, careers, self-improvement, celebrities, as well as fashion and beauty .... , November 1922
1921	Edison Marshall: "The Heart of Little Shikara” in Everybody's Magazine, January 1921
1920	Maxwell Struthers Burt Maxwell Struthers Burt Maxwell Struthers Burt , was an American novelist, poet, and short-story writer.Struthers Burt graduated Princeton University in 1904. In 1912 he moved to Wyoming and founded the Bar BC Ranch, a dude ranch.... : "Each in His Generation” in Scribner's Magazine Scribner's Magazine *Scribner's Magazine* was an American periodical published by the publishing house of Charles Scribner's Sons from January 1887 to May 1939.... , July 1920
1919	Margaret Prescott Montague: "England to America” in The Atlantic Monthly, September 1918

O. Henry Award

History and format

Juror favorites, first-prize winners

External links