DBC Pierre's initials stand for "Dirty But Clean"

Pierre's Vernon God Little is up for the first novel award, while Mark Haddon, Shena Mackay and Barbara Trapido compete in the novel category.

The Whitbread Award also features prizes for poetry and children's books.

Five category winners will be named on Radio 4's Front Row programme, with an overall victor revealed on 27 January.

Each category winner will receive £5,000, while the overall winner will get £25,000.

The 2003 prize attracted 468 entries, a record number, including 111 children's books.

Whitbread shortlist in full

Each category's shortlist was selected by a panel of judges, including Poet Laureate Andrew Motion, actress Jenny Agutter and broadcasters James Naughtie and Mark Lawson.

Mark Haddon's children's book The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time has previously been nominated for a number of literary prizes.

The judges described it as "moving, enlightening, funny and a breeze to read".

He is competing with Rachel Cusk's The Lucky Ones, Mackay's Heligoland and Trapido's Frankie & Stankie.

In the first novel category, Vernon God Little was described by the judges as "crazed and scabrous".

The category winners can be heard on Radio 4's Front Row at 1915 GMT.

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The shortlist in full:

Novel Award shortlist
The Lucky Ones - Rachel Cusk
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
Heligoland - Shena Mackay
Frankie & Stankie - Barbara Trapido

First Novel Award shortlist
Buddha Da - Anne Donovan
An Evening of Long Goodbyes - Paul Murray
Vernon God Little - DBC Pierre
An Empty Room - Talitha Stevenson

Poetry Award shortlist
Minsk - Lavinia Greenlaw
Ink Stone - Jamie McKendrick
Landing Light - Don Paterson
Hard Water - Jean Sprackland

Biography Award shortlist
Margaret Thatcher - Volume Two: The Iron Lady - John Campbell
Martha Gellhorn - Caroline Moorehead
Orwell: The Life - D J Taylor
Beautiful Shadow: A Life of Patricia Highsmith - Andrew Wilson