Cynan Jones was the guest judge for the 2025 competition
Cynan Jones is from near Aberaeron, on the west coast of Wales. His acclaimed fiction, which includes five novels and numerous short stories, has appeared in over 20 countries, and in journals and magazines including Granta, Freeman’s and the New Yorker. He also writes for screen, has written a collection of tales for children, and a number of stories for BBC Radio, including the twelve-story collection Stillicide. He has been longlisted and shortlisted for numerous awards, and won, among other prizes, the Wales Book of the Year Fiction Prize, a Jerwood Fiction Uncovered Award, and the BBC National Short Story Award. His short story collection, Pulse, is forthcoming from Granta Books in November 2025.
Website: www.cynanjones.net