Short Story Prize

The Commonwealth Short Story Prize is awarded for the best piece of unpublished short fiction (2,000–5,000 words). Please find the 10 year anniversary collection of overall winning entries from 2012-2020, a (work-in-progress) collection with the regional and overall winning entries and the shortlisted entries from the year 2020.

Read more about the Prize here.

Celebrating 10 years

Prize-winning stories

Shortlisted stories

All stories

Speaking In Tongues
Speaking In Tongues
by Shelley Burne-Field
The Kite
The Kite
by Sophia Khan
Have Mercy
Have Mercy
by Sharma Taylor
Fault Lines
Fault Lines
by Pritika Rao
The Stars and the Scars
The Stars and the Scars
by Penny Woods
Thandiwe
Thandiwe
by Mubanga Kalimamukwento
A Landscape Memoir
A Landscape Memoir
by Jonathan Pizarro
Something Happened Here
Something Happened Here
by Dera Duru
Losing Count
Losing Count
by Alexandra Manglis
Lifestyle Guide for The Discerning Witch
Lifestyle Guide for The Discerning Witch
by Franklyn Usouwa
The Stone Bench
The Stone Bench
by David McIlwraith
What Men Live By
What Men Live By
মানুষ যা নিয়ে বাঁচে 
by Shagufta Sharmeen Tania
Hot Mango Chutney Sauce
Hot Mango Chutney Sauce
by Farah Ahamed
A fast-growing refugee problem
A fast-growing refugee problem
by Sagnik Datta 
Accidents are prohibited
Accidents are prohibited
by Gitanjali Joshua
WHAT HAPPENED TO MA?  
WHAT HAPPENED TO MA?  
Wonem Samting Kamap Long Mama?
by Baka Bina
No Man’s Land
No Man’s Land
by Alexia Tolas
The No Sex Thing
The No Sex Thing
by Eleanor Kirk
How to Operate the New Eco-Protect Five-in-One Climate Control Apparatus
How to Operate the New Eco-Protect Five-in-One Climate Control Apparatus
by Charlie Muhumuza
Hunger
Hunger
by Andre Bagoo
It Ends with a Kiss
It Ends with a Kiss
by Riddhi Dastidar
An Analysis of a Fragile Affair
An Analysis of a Fragile Affair
by Ola W. Halim
some words ending in a sentence
some words ending in a sentence
by phill doran
Starry Night
Starry Night
by Cara Marks
The Woman; or Euryale
The Woman; or Euryale
by A. N. King
The Current Climate
The Current Climate
by Aravind Jayan
Class Struggle
Class Struggle
by Ian Stewart
Rabbit
Rabbit
by Samantha Lane Murphy
I Cleaned the –
I Cleaned the –
by Kanya D’Almeida
A for Abortion
A for Abortion
by Franklyn Usouwa
Tourism is our Business
Tourism is our Business
by Heather Barker
English at the End of Time
English at the End of Time
by Rashad Hosein
Ogbuefi
Ogbuefi
by Vincent Anioke
Genuine Human Hair
Genuine Human Hair
by Sharma Taylor
Carved
Carved
by Tim Saunders
Tetra Hydro Cannabinol
Tetra Hydro Cannabinol
by Moso Sematlane
Weeds
Weeds
by Ling Low
Mass Effect
Mass Effect
by Joshua Wales
Two Girls in a Boat
Two Girls in a Boat
by Emma Martin
We Walked on Water
We Walked on Water
by Eliza Robertson
The Whale House
The Whale House
by Sharon Millar
Let’s Tell This Story Properly
Let’s Tell This Story Properly
by Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi
The Human Phonograph
The Human Phonograph
by Jonathan Tel
Cow and Company
Cow and Company
by Parashar Kulkarni
The Sweet Sop
The Sweet Sop
by Ingrid Persaud
A Breath, a Bunk, a Land, a Sky
A Breath, a Bunk, a Land, a Sky
by Fiona Sussman
The Shedding
The Shedding
by Nafisa A. Iqbal
Finger, Spinster, Serial Killer
Finger, Spinster, Serial Killer
by Brandon Mc Ivor
In Another Country
In Another Country
by Ifeanyichukwu Peter Eze
The Teeth on the Bus Go Round and Round
The Teeth on the Bus Go Round and Round
by Dinesh Devarajan
The Dawning
The Dawning
by Aba Amissah Asibon 
The Debt
The Debt
ΤΟ ΧΡΈΟΣ
by Nikolas Kyriacou
The Faraway Things
The Faraway Things
by Alboricah Tokologo Rathupetsane
Attention
Attention
by Catherine Chidgey 
Fatou vs the Dictator
Fatou vs the Dictator
by ML Kejera
Cash and Carry
Cash and Carry
by Sharma Taylor
Provenance
Provenance
by Jason Jobin
Mafootoo
Mafootoo
by Brian S. Heap
Ouroboros, Ouroboros
Ouroboros, Ouroboros
by Sharmini Aphrodite
Wherever Mister Jensen Went
Wherever Mister Jensen Went
by Reyah Martin
When A Woman Renounces Motherhood
When A Woman Renounces Motherhood
by Innocent Chizaram Ilo
The Great Indian Tee and Snakes
The Great Indian Tee and Snakes
by Kritika Pandey
The Art of Waving
The Art of Waving
by Andrea E. Macleod
Death Customs
Death Customs
1Q2ΈΘΙΜΑ ΘΑΝΆΤΟΥ
by Constantia Soteriou 
Granma’s Porch
Granma’s Porch
by Alexia Tolas
Madam’s Sister
Madam’s Sister
by Mbozi Haimbe
My Mother Pattu
My Mother Pattu
by Saraswathy M. Manickam
Screaming
Screaming
by Harley Hern
Passage
Passage
by Kevin Jared Hosein