Home > O. Henry Awards

The O. Henry Prize Stories is an annual collection of the year's twenty best stories published in American and Canadian magazines, written in the English language.

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 2003 was dedicated to Mavis Gallant, a Canadian writer who lives in Paris, France.

1 List of first prize winners

2003

• Denis Johnson : "Train Dreams" in the Paris Review, Summer 2002
• A. S. Byatt : "The Thing in the Forest" in The New Yorker, June 3, 2002

2002

• Kevin Brockmeier : "The Ceiling” in McSweeney's, No. 7

2001

• Mary Swan : "The Deep” in The Malahat Review , No. 131

2000

• John Edgar Wideman : "Weight” in Callaloo , Vol. 22, No. 3

1999

• Peter Baida : "A Nurse's Story” in The Gettysburg Review , Vol. 13, No. 3

1998

• Lorrie Moore : "People Like That Are the Only People Here” in The New Yorker, January 27, 1997

1997

• Mary Gordon : "City Life” in Ploughshares , Vol. 22, No. 1

1996

• Stephen King : "The Man in the Black Suit” in The New Yorker, October 31, 1994

1995

• Cornelia Nixon : "The Women Come and Go” in New England Review , Spring 1994

1994

• Alison Baker : "Better Be Ready 'Bout Half Past Eight” in The Atlantic Monthly, January 1993

1993

• Thom Jones : "The Pugilist at Rest” in The New Yorker, December 2, 1991

1992

• Cynthia Ozick : "Puttermesser Paired” in The New Yorker, October 8, 1990

1991

• John UpdikeJohn Updike (born March 18 1932) is an American novelist and short story author born in Shillington, Pennsylvania. Updike's most famous works are his Rabbit series Rabbit, Run ''Rabbit Redux ''Rabbit is Rich ''Rabbit at Rest and Rabbit, Remembered . Rabbi : "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 , Winter 1988

1988

• Raymond CarverRaymond Carver ( May 25, 1938 August 2, 1988) was an American short story writer and poet. Carver was born in Clatskanie, Oregon. For a time, Carver studied under the author John Gardner at Chico State College in Chico, California. He published a number o : "Errand” in The New Yorker, June 1, 1987

1987

• Louise ErdrichKaren Louise Erdrich (born June 7, 1954) is a Native American ( Chippewa) author of novels, poetry, and children's books. Her work includes Love Medicine Tracks The Beet Queen The Bingo Palace Tales of Burning Love The Last Report on the Miracles at Littl : "Fleur” in Esquire Magazine, August 1986
• Joyce Johnson : "The Children's Wing” in Harper's MagazineHarper's Magazine (frequently referred to as just Harper's is a monthly magazine, published in the United States. Harper's made its debut in June 1850, the brainchild of the prominent New York City book-publishing firm Harper & Brothers. The initial press, July 1986

1986

• Alice WalkerAlice Malsenior Walker (born February 9, 1944) is an African American author whose most famous novel, The Color Purple won both the Pulitzer Prize and the American Book Award. Walker's writings, including poems, stories, essays and novels, focus on the st : "Kindred Spirits” in Esquire, August 1985

1985

• Stuart Dybek : "Hot Ice” in Antaeus Magazine
• Jane SmileyJane Smiley (b. September 26, 1949) is an award-winning American novelist. She graduated from John Burroughs School in Saint Louis, Missouri, got a B. at Vassar College, and earned a Ph. from the University of Iowa, where she continues to teach. She publi : "Lily” in The Atlantic Monthly

1984

• Cynthia Ozick : "Rosa” in The New Yorker, March 21, 1983

1983

• Raymond CarverRaymond Carver ( May 25, 1938 August 2, 1988) was an American short story writer and poet. Carver was born in Clatskanie, Oregon. For a time, Carver studied under the author John Gardner at Chico State College in Chico, California. He published a number o : "A Small, Good Thing” in Ploughshares, Vol. 8, Nos. 2 & 3

1982

• Susan Kenney : "Facing Front” in Epoch Magazine , Winter 1980

1981

• Cynthia Ozick : "The Shawl” in The New Yorker, May 26, 1980

1980

• Saul Bellow : "A Silver Dish” in The New Yorker, September 25, 1978

1979

• Gordon Weaver : "Getting Serious” in The Sewanee Review, Fall 1977

1978

• Woody Allen : "The Kugelmass Episode” in The New Yorker, May 2, 1977

1977

• Shirley Hazzard : "A Long Story Short” in The New Yorker, July 26, 1976
• Ella Leffland : "Last Courtesies” in Harper's Magazine, July 1976

1976

• Harold Brodkey : "His Son in His Arms, in Light, Aloft” in Esquire, August 1975

1975

• Harold Brodkey : "A Story in an Almost Classical Mode” in The New Yorker, September 17, 1973
• Cynthia Ozick : "Usurpation (Other People's Stories)” in Esquire, May 1974

1974

• Renata Adler : "Brownstone” in The New Yorker, January 27, 1973

1973

• Joyce Carol Oates : "The Dead” in McCall's, 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 : "The Girl Who Sang with the Beatles” in The New Yorker, January 11, 1969

1969

• Bernard Malamud : "Man in the Drawer” in The Atlantic, April 1968

1968

• Eudora Welty : "The Demonstrators” in The New Yorker, November 26, 1966

1967

• Joyce Carol Oates : "In the Region of Ice” in The Atlantic Monthly, August 1966

1966

• John Updike : "The Bulgarian Poetess” in The New Yorker, March 13, 1965

1965

• Flannery O'Connor : "Revelation” in Sewanee Review, Spring 1964

1964

• John Cheever : "The Embarkment for Cythera” in The New Yorker, November 3, 1962

1963

• Flannery O'Connor : "Everything That Rises Must Converge” in New World Writing

1962

• Katherine Anne Porter : "Holiday” in The Atlantic Monthly, December 1960

1961

• Tillie Olson : "Tell Me a Riddle” in New World Writing, No. 16

1960

• Lawrence Sargent Hall : "The Ledge” in The Hudson Review , Winter, 1958-59

1959

• Peter Taylor : "Venus, Cupid, Folly and Time” in The Kenyon Review

1958

• Martha Gellhorn : "In Sickness as in Health” in The Atlantic Monthly

1957

• Flannery O'Connor : "Greenleaf” in The Kenyon Review

1956

• John Cheever : "The Country Husband” in The New Yorker

1955

• Jean Stafford : "In the Zoo” in The New Yorker

1954

• Thomas Mabry : "The Indian Feather” in The Sewanee Review

1951

• Harris Downey : "The Hunters” in Epoch Magazine

1950

• Wallace Stegner : "The Blue-Winged Teal” in Harper's Magazine

1949

• William Faulkner : "A Courtship” in The Sewanee Review

1948

• Truman Capote : "Shut a Final Door” in The Atlantic Monthly

1947

• John Bell Clayton : "The White Circle” in Harper's Magazine

1946

• John Mayo Goss : "Bird Song” in The Atlantic Monthly

1945

• Walter Van Tilburg Clark : "The Wind and the Snow of Winter” in The Yale Review

1944

• Irwin Shaw : "Walking Wounded” in The New Yorker

1943

• Eudora Welty : "Livvie is Back” in The Atlantic Monthly

1942

• Eudora Welty : "The Wide Net” in Harper's Magazine

1941

• Kay Boyle : "Defeat” in The New Yorker

1940

• Stephen Vincent Benét : "Freedom's a Hard-Bought Thing” in The Saturday Evening Post

1939

• William Faulkner : "Barn Burning” in Harper's Magazine

1938

• Albert Maltz : "The Happiest Man on Earth” in Harper's Magazine

1937

• Stephen Vincent Benet : "The Devil and Daniel Webster” in The Saturday Evening Post

1936

• James Gould Cozzens : "Total Stranger” in Saturday Evening Post, February 15, 1936

1935

• Kay Boyle : "The White Horses of Vienna” in Harper's Magazine

1934

• Louis Paul : "No More Trouble for Jedwick” in Esquire

1933

• Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings : "Gal Young Un” in Harper's Magazine, June & July 1932

1932

• Stephen Vincent Benét : "An End to Dreams” in Pictorial Review , February 1932

1931

• Wilbur Daniel Steele : "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 , August 1929

1929

• Dorothy Parker : "Big Blonde” in Bookman Magazine , February 1929

1928

• Walter Duranty : "The Parrot” in Redbook Magazine , March 1928

1927

• Roarke Bradford : "Child of God” in Harper's Magazine, April 1927

1926

• Wilbur Daniel Steele : "Bubbles” in Harper's Magazine

1925

• Julian Street : "Mr. Bisbee's Princess” in Redbook, May 1925

1924

• Inez Haynes Irwin : "The Spring Flight” in McCall's Magazine , June 1924

1923

• Edgar Valentine Smith : "Prelude” in Harper's Magazine, May 1923

1922

• Irvin S. Cobb : "Snake Doctor” in Cosmopolitan Magazine, November 1922

1921

• Edison Marshall : "The Heart of Little Shikara” in Everybody's Magazine , January 1921

1920

• Maxwell Struthers Burt : "Each in His Generation” in Scribner's Magazine , July 1920

1919

• Margaret Prescott Montague : "England to America” in The Atlantic Monthly, September 1918