Each year, more than 1,000 manuscripts are submitted to 200 selection committees who shortlist about 50 works. These finalists are then judged by a jury of literary critics headed by Christiane Baroche.

In addition to the jury prize, the winners get a chance to have their short story published by Mercure de France. Among the new talents revealed by the awards in recent years are Marie Darrieussecq, François-Xavier Molia, Dominique Mainard and Antoine Bello, all emblematic of the energy of modern French writing.