The annual short story award run by the Guardian and publisher 4th Estate is open for entries from unpublished writers of colour based in the UK.

The 4thWrite prize, now in its eighth year, was set up to celebrate outstanding fiction by emerging Black, Asian and minority ethnic writers. The winner will receive £1,000, a one-day publishing workshop with 4th Estate and publication of their story on the Guardian website.

This year’s judging panel is made up of the novelists Sheena Patel and Laline Paull, journalist and author Zing Tsjeng, literary agent Emma Leong, 4th Estate’s editorial director Kishani Widyaratna, and the Guardian’s fiction editor Justine Jordan.

“I’ve been a huge fan of the 4th Estate short story prize ever since my early days in publishing, having witnessed the generous talent it brings and its support for aspiring writers,” Leong said. “I am deeply honoured to be part of the prize this year and look forward to reading these stories.”

Paull said: “In a world of division, strife and tension, the power of literature can remind us that we share far more than we imagine. I’m delighted to join the judging panel, to shine a light on wonderful new writers whose voices might be harder to hear, but whose stories can enlarge our world.”

The prize has an impressive list of alumni, with longlisted and shortlisted writers including Love in Colour and Honey & Spice author Bolu Babalola; Guy Gunaratne, who won the Jhalak prize for their debut novel In Our Mad and Furious City; and Kasim Ali, whose debut novel Good Intentions was published in 2022. Tian Yi won last year’s prize with her story The Good Son.

Entries for this year’s prize will be open until 22 September. The longlist will be announced on 1 November, the shortlist on 22 November, and the winner in December. Submissions can be made at www.4thEstate.co.uk/prize, where full terms and conditions are available. Any queries can be sent to 4thWritePrize@harpercollins.co.uk.