Commonwealth Writers inspires, develops and connects writers in a range of disciplines. Activities take place in Commonwealth countries, but community is global.
The competition brings stories from new and emerging voices, often from countries with little or no publishing infrastructure, to the attention of an international audience.
The Prize is awarded for the best piece of unpublished short fiction (2,000-5,000 words) in English. Short stories translated into English from other languages are also eligible, and we invite writers from Mozambique who write in Portuguese, and writers who write in Swahili and Bengali, and who do not have an English translation of their story, to submit their stories in the original language. Each year, five winning writers are selected from five different Commonwealth regions. Regional winners receive £2,500 (US$3,835) and the overall winner will receive £5,000 (US$7,670). If the winning short story is a translation into English, the translator will receive equal prize money. Entry is free.