Prairie Schooner and the University of Nebraska Press have announced the winners and runners-up for their annual awards for books of short fiction and poetry. The winners were chosen from almost 2,000 submissions from around the world.

The winner of the 2008 Prairie Schooner Book Prize in short fiction is Anne Finger for her manuscript, “Call Me Ahab.” She will receive a $3,000 prize and publication by the University of Nebraska Press. Finger has taught creative writing at Wayne State University in Detroit and the University of Texas.

The runner-up in the fiction category is Michael Kardos for his manuscript, “One Last Good Time.” He will receive a $1,000 prize. He is an assistant professor of English and creative writing at Mississippi State University.

The winner of the 2008 Prairie Schooner Book Prize in poetry is Kara Candito for her manuscript, “Taste of Cherry.” She will receive a $3,000 prize and publication by the NU Press. She is a doctoral candidate in English at Florida State University.

The runner-up in the poetry category is Adrian Matejka for his manuscript, “Mixology.” He will receive a $1,000 prize. He teaches creative writing and English literature at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.

For more information, go to http://prairieschooner.unl.edu.