Hurry up and submit your short story for the Commonwealth Short Story Prize as deadline approaches

By Citylife Arts Writer

Over the next month, hundreds of writers will be writing and rewriting their stories before submitting them for the prize.

 Once the deadline passes, it’s over to the expert judging panel to decide on the shortlisted and winning stories.

 This year’s judges bring a wealth of literary knowledge and writing experience from different backgrounds and cultures. Together, the  panel is well placed to appreciate the creative endeavour involved in every story according to the organisers of the competition.

Meet the judges

• The Chair is Bilal Tanweer, an award-winning Pakistani writer and translator.
• Rémy Ngamije is a writer and photographer. In 2021 he made history as the first Namibian to be named African regional winner of the prize.
• Ameena Hussein is a Sri Lankan author and publisher. She won the 2005 State Literary Prize with Zillij, a collection of short stories.
• Madeleine Thien is a Canadian writer and critic. She has received Canada’s two highest literary honours, the Giller Prize and the Governor-General’s Literary Award for Fiction.
• Mac Donald Dixon writes fiction, plays and poetry. In 2005 he was awarded Saint Lucia’s Cultural Development Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award.
• Selina Tusitala Marsh is a performer and author. She was previously New Zealand’s Poet Laureate and a Commonwealth Poet.

The judges will carefully select a winner from thousands of entrants to the prize. The next month is your opportunity to write a short story that wows them.

Submit your story here before 1 November

Remember the prize is free to enter for citizens of any Commonwealth country, who are aged 18 or over.