Overview
Five short stories tackling issues from abortion to transgender identity, from religion to mental illness have been chosen as the regional winners for the world’s most global literary prize. The Commonwealth Short Story Prize is awarded for the best piece of unpublished short fiction from the Commonwealth. It is the only prize in the world where entries can be submitted in Bengali, Chinese, English, Malay, Portuguese, Samoan, Swahili, and Tamil.
The five stories will be published in partnership with Granta in the run up to the overall Prize announcement at the CVAR/Severis Foundation, Nicosia, on 25 July. Luke Neima, Granta‘s Online Editor, said: “Granta magazine is delighted to be introducing the storytellers and writers who have been awarded the 2018 Commonwealth Short Story Prize to our readers. This year’s selection introduces exciting emerging talents from around the world, writers who bring to their readers a thrilling and essential glimpse of the tradition, culture and vibrancy of life across the Commonwealth. Here is a rich new seam of voices, ideas, and talent from around the world.”
The international judging panel, chaired by the novelist and poet Sarah Hall, has chosen the winners from a shortlist of 24, with 5182 stories submitted from 48 Commonwealth countries.
The Commonwealth Short Story Prize is run by Commonwealth Writers, which develops and connects writers across the world and tackles the challenges they face in different regions. Commonwealth Writers is the cultural initiative of the Commonwealth Foundation, whose Director-General, Vijay Krishnarayan, said of this year’s winners: “These remarkable stories are testament to the vitality and range of writing from around the Commonwealth, to the importance of a truly international prize: one that works across linguistic and cultural boundaries.”
For more information visit the Commonwealth Short Story Prize website.
