The Commonwealth Short Story Prize is awarded annually for the best piece of unpublished short fiction (2,000 to 5,000 words). The prize is open to citizens of member states of the Commonwealth of Nations aged 18 and over. The Commonwealth Short Story Prize is managed by the Commonwealth Foundation, and was set up in 2012 to inspire, develop and connect writers and storytellers across the Commonwealth. The Prize replaced the Commonwealth Short Story Competition, a roughly similar competition that existed from 1996 to 2011 and was discontinued by the Commonwealth Foundation, along with the Commonwealth Writers' Prize.
The Prize is open to writers who have had little or no work published and particularly aimed at those places with little or no publishing industry. The prize aims to bring writing from these countries to the attention of an international audience. The stories need to be in English, but can be translated from other languages.
The overall winner receives £5,000 and the regional winner £2,500. During 2012–13, the regional winner received £1,000. Starting in 2014, the award for regional winners of the Short Story Prize was increased to £2,500. At the same time, Commonwealth Writers discontinued the Commonwealth Book Prize and focused solely on the Short Story Prize.
The 2026 Prize drew controversy for its selection of writings that are alleged to be partially or entirely AI generated, particularly the short story "The Serpent in the Grove" by Jamir Nazir of Trinidad and Tobago. The director-general of the Commonwealth Foundation made a statement in response.
Commonwealth Foundation Commonwealth Writers is the cultural programme of the Commonwealth Foundation. The Commonwealth Foundation is an intergovernmental organisation established in 1965, resourced by and reporting to Commonwealth governments, and guided by Commonwealth values and priorities.
Winners
Regional winners and overall winners. YearRegionAuthorTitleCountry 2012 Africa Jekwu Anyaegbuna "Morrison Okoli (1955–2010)" Nigeria Asia Anushka Jasraj "Radio Story" India Canada and EuropeAndrea Mullaney"The Ghost Marriage"United KingdomCaribbean Diana McCaulay "The Dolphin Catcher" Jamaica Pacific Emma Martin "Two Girls in a Boat" New Zealand 2013(joint winners) Africa Julian Jackson "The New Customers" South Africa Asia Michael Mendis "The Sarong-Man in the Old House, and an Incubus for a Rainy Night" Sri Lanka Canada and Europe Eliza Robertson "We Walked on Water" Canada Caribbean Sharon Millar "The Whale House" Trinidad and TobagoPacificZoë Meager"Things with Faces"New Zealand 2014 Africa Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi "Let's Tell This Story Properly" Uganda Asia Sara Adam Ang "A Day in the Death" Singapore Canada and Europe Lucy Caldwell "Killing Time" United Kingdom Caribbean Maggie Harris "Sending for Chantal" Guyana Pacific Lucy Treloar "The Dog and the Sea" Australia 2015 Africa Lesley Nneka Arimah "Light" Nigeria Asia Siddhartha Gigoo "The Umbrella Man" India Canada and Europe Jonathan Tel "The Human Phonograph" United Kingdom Caribbean Kevin Jared Hosein "The King of Settlement 4" Trinidad and Tobago Pacific Mary Rokonadravu "Famished Eels" Fiji 2016 Africa Faraaz Mahomed "The Pigeon" South Africa Asia Parashar Kulkarni "Cow and Company" India Canada and Europe Stephanie Seddon "Eel" United Kingdom Caribbean Lance Dowrich "Ethelbert and the Free Cheese" Trinidad and Tobago Pacific Tina Makereti "Black Milk" New Zealand 2017 Africa Akwaeke Emezi "Who Is Like God" Nigeria Asia Anushka Jasraj "Drawing Lessons" India Canada and Europe Tracy Fells "The Naming of Moths" United Kingdom Caribbean Ingrid Persaud "The Sweet Sop" Trinidad and Tobago Pacific Nat Newman "The Death of Margaret Roe" Australia 2018 Africa Efua Traoré "True Happiness" Nigeria Asia Sagnik Datta "The Divine Pregnancy of a Twelve-Year-Old Girl" India Canada and Europe Lynda Clark "Ghillie's Mum" United Kingdom Caribbean Kevin Jared Hosein "Passage" Trinidad and Tobago Pacific Jenny Bennett-Tuionetoa "Matalasi" Samoa 2019AfricaMbozi Haimbe"Madam’s Sister"ZambiaAsiaSaras Manickam"My Mother Pattu"Malaysia Canada and Europe Constantia Soteriou "Death Customs" CyprusCaribbeanAlexia Tolas"Granma's Porch"BahamasPacificHarley Hern"Screaming"New Zealand2020AfricaInnocent Chizaram Ilo"When a Woman Renounces Motherhood"Nigeria AsiaKritika Pandey"The Great Indian Tee and Snakes"IndiaCanada and EuropeReyah Martin"Wherever Mister Jensen Went"United KingdomCaribbeanBrian S. Heap"Mafootoo"JamaicaPacificAndrea E. Macleod"The Art of Waving"Australia 2021AfricaRémy Ngamije"Granddaughter of the Octopus"Namibia AsiaKanya D'Almeida"I Cleaned The"Sri LankaCanada and EuropeCarol Farrelly"Turnstones"United KingdomCaribbeanRoland Watson-Grant"The Disappearance of Mumma Del"JamaicaPacificKaterina Gibson"Fertile Soil"Australia2022 Africa Ntsika Kota "and the earth drank deep" EswatiniAsiaSofia Mariah Ma"The Last Diver on Earth"SingaporeCanada and EuropeCecil Browne"A Hat for Lemer"United Kingdom/St Vincent and the GrenadinesCaribbeanDiana McCaulay"Bridge over the Yallahs River"JamaicaPacificMary Rokonadravu"The Nightwatch"Fiji2023AfricaHana Gammon"The Undertaker’s Apprentice"South AfricaAsiaAgnes Chew"Oceans Away from My Homeland"SingaporeCanada and EuropeRue Baldry"Lech, Prince, and the Nice Things"United KingdomCaribbeanKwame McPherson"Ocoee"JamaicaPacificHimali McInnes"Kilinochchi"New Zealand2024AfricaReena Usha Rungoo"Dite"MauritiusAsiaSanjana Thakur"Aishwarya Rai"IndiaCanada and EuropeJulie Bouchard (Arielle Aaronson, translator)"What Burns"CanadaCaribbeanPortia Subran"The Devil's Son"Trinidad and TobagoPacificPip Robertson"A River Then the Road"Aotearoa New Zealand2025"Faria Basher named Asia Regional Winner of Commonwealth Short Story Prize". The Daily Star, May 14, 2025.AfricaJoshua Lubwama"Mothers Not Appearing in Search"UgandaAsiaFaria Basher"An Eye and a Leg"BangladeshCanada and EuropeChanel Sutherland"Descend"CanadaCaribbeanSubraj Singh"Margot's Run"GuyanaPacificKathleen Ridgwell"Crab Sticks and Lobster Rolls"Australia 2026 Africa Lisa-Anne Julien "Me and Ma'am" South Africa Asia Sharon Aruparayil "Mehendi Nights" India Canada and Europe John Edward DeMicoli "The Bastion's Shadow" MaltaCaribbeanJamir Nazir"The Serpent in the Grove"Trinidad and TobagoPacificHolly Ann Miller"Second Skin"New Zealand
Judges Each year the judging panel comprises a chair, as well as one representative each from the five regions matching the prize's regional awards: Africa, Asia, Canada and Europe, the Caribbean, and the Pacific.
In 2022 the judges were Fred D'Aguiar (Chair), Louise Umutoni-Bower (Africa), Jahnavi Barua (Asia), Stephanos Stephanides (Canada and Europe), Kevin Jared Hosein (Caribbean), and Jeanine Leane (Pacific).
In 2023 the judges were Bilal Tanweer (Chair), Rémy Ngamije (Africa), Ameena Hussein (Asia), Katrina Best (Canada and Europe), Mac Donald Dixon (Caribbean), and Selina Tusitala Marsh (Pacific).
In 2024 the judges were Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi (Chair), Keletso Mopai (Africa), O Thiam Chin (Asia), Shashi Bhat (Canada and Europe), Richard Georges (Caribbean), and Melissa Lucashenko (Pacific).
The 2026 judges were Louise Doughty (chair), Fred Khumalo (Africa), Rifat Munim (Asia), Norma Dunning (Canada and Europe), Sharma Taylor (Caribbean), and Maxine Beneba Clarke (Pacific).
See also Commonwealth Foundation prizes
References
External links Commonwealth Short Story Prize, official site