How much funding does The Commonwealth Short Story Prize Grant provide?

The Commonwealth Short Story Prize Grant provides £2,500 - £5,000 in funding.

When is the deadline for The Commonwealth Short Story Prize Grant?

The funder has not published a deadline for this grant.

The Commonwealth Short Story Prize Grant

Commonwealth Foundation

Foundation Grants for Creative Writing

Funding Amount

£2,500 - £5,000

Deadline

Deadline not published

Grant Type

Foundation

Can we apply?

Check your organization against each line. Taken from the listing; confirm with the funder's guidelines.

Other requirements

Eligible applicants:All citizens of all Commonwealth countries, please see the full list here.
It 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

Not eligible / not funded

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

Overview

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 This free-entry competition seeks the best unpublished short fiction, between 2,000 to 5,000 words.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.

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 It is awarded for the best piece of unpublished short fiction (2,000–5,000 words).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

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.

What Commonwealth Foundation actually gave

Source: IRS Form 990-PF, 2025

Grants in 2025: 17
Total given: $553K
Median grant: $20K
Range: $7,500–$75K

By dollars: Oklahoma 91%, Kansas 9%. Top recipient cities: Tulsa, OK; Oklahoma City, OK; Bartlesville, OK.
94% of grants with a stated purpose were for general or operating support.
18% of recipients were new grantees, not repeat recipients.

Example grants

Oklahoma Educational Television Authority · Oklahoma City, OK

General fund

$75K
The Gilcrease Museum Management Trust · Tulsa, OK

General fund

$75K
The University of Tulsa · Tulsa, OK

General fund

$75K
George Miksch Sutton Avian Research Center · Bartlesville, OK

Fred n wightman endowed fund for ecological stewardship

$50K
Green Country Habitat for Humanity · Tulsa, OK

General fund

$50K