a record number of entries - almost 1,900 from over 45 countries - and the judges were so impressed with the overall quality that they asked to increase the short-list from six to eight, and to commend an additional 31 stories ; the international nature of the competition was reflected in the make-up of the short-list, with four finalists from the UK, three from the USA and one from Canada. The prize was awarded at a ceremony held once again as part of the Manchester Literature Festival, this time taking place at Chetham's School of Music in the centre of Manchester on the evening of Friday 14 October; Draper and Frost returned as hosts, this time working as a comical double-act. Head Judge Nicholas Royle spoke about the difficulty of choosing a winner and announced that the panel had decided to split the prize, awarding a first prize of £7,500 to Krishan Coupland and a second prize of £2,500 to Richard Hirst. The runners up were Nicole Cullen, Garret Freymann-Weyr, Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Alex Preston, Bethany Rogers and Judith Turner-Yamamoto. In 2013, the prize became an annual event . External links Manchester Writing Competition The Guardian 3/11/2009 Manchester Literary Renaissance MMU Writing School Manchester Literature Festival The Manchester Fiction Prize 2009 Facebook Manchester Writing Competition National Association of Writers in Education - Manchester Fiction Prize Gala 2009 Manchester Writing Competition Gala Prize Giving Ceremony 2013 Awards established in 2009 Culture in Manchester British fiction awards