For the first time, through an exceptional collaboration between the Yerevan International Book Fest and the Saroyan Foundation, we proudly launch the Saroyan Prize for Short Story – a new award dedicated to celebrating outstanding short fiction written in English or translated into English. This prize honors creative storytelling and literary excellence in the spirit of William Saroyan’s legacy.

Eligibility and Submission Guidelines

The competition is open to writers of all nationalities, aged 18 and over. Previous winners of the Yerevan International Book Fest competitions are also eligible to apply.
Submissions must be original short stories written in English or translations of original stories into English. Stories must not exceed 3,500 words.

Formatting requirements:

•    Times New Roman, 12-point font
•    1.5 line spacing
•    Include the word count at the top of the first page
•    Do not include a cover page or title page
•    Name the file as: NameSurname_Country (e.g., VictoriaSmith_Denmark).
Entries must be submitted as both PDF and Word files (to verify the word count), combined in a compressed (ZIP) folder. 
To be eligible, please attach the following:
•    Full name
•    Country of origin
•    Contact information
•    Photograph
•    CV in English
Submissions must be the author’s own original work.
Please submit your short stories to info@evnbookfest.com.
Entries must be submitted by July 20, 2025. 

Contest Stages

20 days before the award ceremony, a longlist of selected stories will be published on the official website of the Yerevan International Book Fest. Ten days before the festival, the shortlist will be announced.
Shortlisted authors are strongly encouraged to attend the festival’s closing award ceremony in Yerevan. Shortlisted works will be translated into Armenian. The winner will be contacted in advance to arrange travel to Armenia.

Results & Awards

The winner of the Saroyan Prize for Short Story will be announced at the official closing ceremony of the 8th Yerevan International Book Fest. The prize consists of an original painting by William Saroyan, generously donated by the Saroyan Foundation.

Judges

Scott Setrakian  – President of the William Saroyan Foundation
Zaven Boyajyan – Translator, film critic
Lilit Meliksetyan – Translator, Professor
Shushan Avagyan – Translator, Assistant Professor, and Coordinator of the Graduate Certificate in Translation program at the American University of Armenia
Davit Isajanyan – Translator, translation theorist 
Armine Anda – Children’s author, actress

The festival has been held since 2017. It is the largest literary event in Armenia.
The 8th Yerevan International Book Festival will take place on September 5–7 at Republic Square, the National Gallery of Armenia, and the History Museum of Armenia.
The program will include a book fair, exclusive meetings with Armenian and international authors, book launches, workshops, performances, and concerts.
Organized with the initiative and support of the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports of the Republic of Armenia, the 8th Yerevan International Book Festival is coordinated by the Yeghishe Charents Museum of Literature and Art and the “Book Festival” Educational and Cultural NGO.

The main sponsor of the festival is the Yerevan Municipality.