IGGY and Litro have today announced the shortlist for the 2012 International Short Story competition.

The six stories chosen illustrate the brilliance and range of young people’s writing. From the perils of teenage boredom to the very real dangers of life as a child soldier in Africa, the stories capture the intensity and authentic voices of young writers around the world.

The shortlist includes writers from Nigeria, Canada, the USA and UK, with ages ranging from 15 to 19. The competition drew more than 450 entries.

This is the third year of the IGGY/Litro Short Story Competition. IGGY is the educational social network and Litro is the London free literary magazine. They created the International Short Story Competition to acknowledge and encourage young writing talent across the world.

The stories were judged by a distinguished panel of writers: Chika Unigwe, Will Eaves, Gemma Weekes and Damian Barr. The judges praised the scope and ambition of the shortlisted stories and their engagement with the contemporary world.

The six shortlisted stories are:

• Before We Call Them Monsters by Ige Abimbola (Nigeria, 19)
• I Hope There is Wifi in Heaven by Lindsey Nkem (Canada, 15)
• Flowers by Isobel Hall (UK, 19)
• Memory of A Distant Country by Fego Martins Ahia (Nigeria, 17)
• The Man Who Had Everything by Lin Wang (USA, 19)
• People of the Sunrise by Sophie Drunkman-Feldstein (USA, 15)

The winner of the 2012 IGGY/Litro International Short Story Competition will be announced at the Award Ceremony at The Globe in London on October 15 2012.

The winner will receive £2,500 and be published in Litro magazine, with an excerpt of the story displayed at a London tube station.

The shortlisted stories will be published online at http://www.iggy.net/ and www.litro.co.uk Monday 17 September.

ENDS