Director General of the Commonwealth Foundation
The Commonwealth Foundation is accepting entries for the Commonwealth Short Story Prize from talented writers who have the potential to inspire their communities. The prize aims to showcase the finest new writing from across the Commonwealth while fostering literary relationships worldwide
The Commonwealth Short Story Prize is open to only individuals who are citizens of Commonwealth countries or stateless persons presently residing in a Commonwealth country. The Commonwealth Foundation will seek verification of the candidates’ citizenship status before announcing the winners. The prize is conferred in recognition of the finest unpublished short fiction, with a specified word count falling within the range of 2,000-5,000 words. It is open to translated fiction.
For regional purposes, entries will be judged by country of citizenship. Where the writer has dual citizenship (of two Commonwealth countries), the entry will be judged in the region where the writer is permanently resident.
Entrants must be aged 18 years or over on November 1, 2023.
Entries from current members of staff at the Commonwealth Foundation are not eligible. Submitted stories must be unpublished and remain unpublished in any language until May 1, 2024. Only one entry per writer each year may be submitted for the Commonwealth Short Story Prize.
Entries should be uploaded as a PDF document. Save your document as a PDF and use the title of the story as the file name. Please note that the story must NOT be saved as ‘Commonwealth Story’, ‘Short Story’, or any other generic title.
The overall winner receives £5,000 and regional winners receive £2,500. Translators will receive additional prize money.
Submissions close on November 1, 2023. For more information and to apply, visit: https://commonwealthfoundation.com/short-story-prize/
