Commonwealth Short Story Prize
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| Commonwealth Short Story Prize | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Awarded for | Best piece of unpublished short fiction (2,000 – 5,000 words) |
| Location | Commonwealth countries |
| Presented by | Commonwealth Writers |
| First awarded | 2012 |
| Website | www.commonwealthwriters.org |
The Commonwealth Short Story Prize is awarded annually for the best piece of unpublished short fiction (2,000 to 5,000 words).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 Commonwealth Writers, the cultural initiative of the Commonwealth Foundation, which was set up in 2012 to inspire, develop and connect writers and storytellers across the Commonwealth.[1] 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.[2]
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 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.[3]
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.
| Year | Region | Author | Title | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012[4][5] | Africa | "Morrison Okoli (1955–2010)" | Nigeria | |
| Asia | Anushka Jasraj | "Radio Story" | India | |
| Canada and Europe | "The Ghost Marriage" | Scotland | ||
| Caribbean | "The Dolphin Catcher" | Jamaica | ||
| Pacific | "Two Girls in a Boat" | New Zealand | ||
| 2013[6] (joint winners) |
Africa | "The New Customers" | South Africa | |
| Asia | "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 | "The Whale House" | Trinidad and Tobago | ||
| Pacific | "Things with Faces" | New Zealand | ||
| 2014[7][8] | Africa | Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi | "Let's Tell This Story Properly" | Uganda |
| Asia | "A Day in the Death" | Singapore | ||
| Canada and Europe | Lucy Caldwell | "Killing Time" | United Kingdom | |
| Caribbean | "Sending for Chantal" | Guyana | ||
| Pacific | Lucy Treloar | "The Dog and the Sea" | Australia | |
| 2015[9][10] | 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 | "Famished Eels" | Fiji | ||
| 2016[11] | Africa | "The Pigeon" | South Africa | |
| Asia | "Cow and Company" | India | ||
| Canada and Europe | "Eel" | United Kingdom | ||
| Caribbean | "Ethelbert and the Free Cheese" | Trinidad and Tobago | ||
| Pacific | Tina Makereti | "Black Milk" | New Zealand | |
| 2017[12] | Africa | Akwaeke Emezi | "Who Is Like God" | Nigeria |
| Asia | Anushka Jasraj | "Drawing Lessons" | India | |
| Canada and Europe | "The Naming of Moths" | United Kingdom | ||
| Caribbean | Ingrid Persaud | "The Sweet Sop" | Trinidad and Tobago | |
| Pacific | "The Death of Margaret Roe" | Australia | ||
| 2018[13] | Africa | "True Happiness" | Nigeria | |
| Asia | "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 | |
| 2019[14][15] | Africa | "Madam’s Sister" | Zambia | |
| Asia | "My Mother Pattu" | Malaysia | ||
| Canada and Europe | "Death Customs" | Cyprus | ||
| Caribbean | "Granma's Porch" | Bahamas | ||
| Pacific | "Screaming" | New Zealand | ||
| 2020[16][17] | Africa | "When a Woman Renounces Motherhood" | Nigeria | |
| Asia | "The Great Indian Tee and Snakes" | India | ||
| Canada and Europe | "Wherever Mister Jensen Went" | United Kingdom | ||
| Caribbean | "Mafootoo" | Jamaica | ||
| Pacific | "The Art of Waving" | Australia | ||
| 2021[18][19] | Africa | Rémy Ngamije | "Granddaughter of the Octopus" | Namibia |
| Asia | Kanya D'Almeida | "I Cleaned The" | Sri Lanka | |
| Canada and Europe | Carol Farrelly | "Turnstones" | United Kingdom | |
| Caribbean | Roland Watson-Grant | "The Disappearance of Mumma Del" | Jamaica | |
| Pacific | Katerina Gibson | "Fertile Soil" | Australia |
See also[]
References[]
- ^ "About". Commonwealth Writers. Retrieved 21 November 2016.
- ^ "Cassava Republic Press — Commonwealth prizes get face-lift for 25th year". Cassavarepublic.biz. 26 September 2011. Retrieved 21 November 2016.
- ^ Tanya Batson-Savage (15 August 2013). "Commonwealth Writers Snuffs the Book Prize: Focus on Commonwealth Short Story Prize". Susumba. Archived from the original on 23 April 2014. Retrieved 6 July 2015.
- ^ "Commonwealth Short Story Prize 2012: Regional Winners". 21 May 2012. Archived from the original on 31 May 2012.
- ^ "Sri Lanka & New Zealand triumphant in the Commonwealth Writers 2012 prizes". 8 June 2012. Archived from the original on 14 April 2013.
- ^ "Commonwealth Writers announces regional winners for 2013 prizes". Commonwealth Writers. 16 May 2013. Archived from the original on 12 August 2013.
- ^ "Commonwealth Short Story Prize 2014: Regional Winners". Commonwealth Prize. 14 May 2012. Archived from the original on 16 June 2014.
- ^ "Jennifer Makumbi, Overall Winner of the 2014 Commonwealth Short Story Prize". Commonwealth Prize. 13 June 2014. Archived from the original on 16 June 2014.
- ^ Luca Furio (2 October 2015). "Commonwealth short story prize 2015". Commonwealth Writers. Retrieved 12 July 2017.
- ^ Alison Flood (28 April 2015). "First-time Fijian author scoops award in Commonwealth short story competition". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 July 2015.
- ^ Luca Furio. "Commonwealth short story prize 2016". Commonwealth Writers. Retrieved 12 July 2017.
- ^ Luca Furio (22 May 2017). "Commonwealth short story prize 2017". Commonwealth Writers. Retrieved 12 July 2017.
- ^ newsamericas (2018-07-27). "Caribbean News - This Caribbean National Wins The 2018 Commonwealth Short Story Prize". Caribbean and Latin America Daily News. Retrieved 2021-06-20.
- ^ "NZ writer Harley Hern named Commonwealth Short Story Prize regional winner". Books+Publishing. 2019-05-09. Retrieved 2019-07-10.
- ^ "Cypriot writer Soteriou wins 2019 Commonwealth Short Story Prize". Books+Publishing. 2019-07-10. Retrieved 2019-07-10.
- ^ "Macleod wins 2020 Commonwealth Short Story Prize, Pacific region". Books+Publishing. 2020-06-02. Archived from the original on 2020-06-11. Retrieved 2020-06-11.
- ^ "Kritika Pandey (MFA '20) Wins 2020 Commonwealth Short Story Prize". Office of News & Media Relations | UMass Amherst. Retrieved 2020-07-01.
- ^ "2021 Commonwealth Short Story Prize Regional Winners". Commonwealth Writers. 2021-05-10. Retrieved 2021-05-12.
- ^ "Gibson wins 2021 Commonwealth Short Story Prize, Pacific region". Books+Publishing. 2021-05-18. Archived from the original on 2021-05-18. Retrieved 2021-05-18.
External links[]
- Commonwealth Short Story Prize, official site (Commonwealth Writers)
- Commonwealth Writers awards
- Awards established in 2012
- Short story awards