The Commonwealth Short Story Prize Grant

The Commonwealth Short Story Prize Grant

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: Commonwealth Foundation
Amount: £2,500 - £5,000
Last Updated: September 16, 2025

Summary

The Commonwealth Short Story Prize is an esteemed award open to citizens of Commonwealth countries aged 18 and over. This free-entry competition seeks the best unpublished short fiction, between 2,000 to 5,000 words. Regional winners receive £2,500 and publication online by Granta magazine, while the overall winner is awarded £5,000. Stories may be submitted in various languages, with translated works also eligible, emphasizing inclusivity and cultural diversity in storytelling.

Overview

Commonwealth Short Story Prize The prize is free to enter and open to any citizen of a Commonwealth country who is aged 18 and over. It is awarded for the best piece of unpublished short fiction (2,000–5,000 words). Regional winners each receive £2,500 and the opportunity to be published online by Granta magazine, and the overall winner receives £5,000. As well as English, stories are accepted in the Bengali, Chinese, Creole, French, Greek, Kiswahili, Malay, Portuguese, Samoan, Tamil and Turkish languages. Translated entries from any language into English are also eligible. If the winning story is a translation, the translator receives additional prize money.

Eligibility

You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website. Eligible applicants:All citizens of all Commonwealth countries, please see the full list hereIt does not matter where you live as long as you are a citizen of a Commonwealth country.Dual citizens are eligible as long as one of the countries is a member of the Commonwealth.The prize is open to all citizens aged 18 and over

Ineligibility

Holders of Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cards are not eligible, unless they also hold a passport from a Commonwealth member country.