The Commonwealth Short Story Prize Writing Contest is an annual £5,000 award for unpublished short fiction administered and funded by the Commonwealth Foundation.
The prize is free to enter and open to any citizen of a Commonwealth country aged 18 and over. It is awarded for the best piece of unpublished short fiction (2,000–5,000 words).
In this post, we will provide you with more details about the opportunity, its requirements, benefits, and a guide to successfully submit your entry.
Eligibility Requirements for Commonwealth Short Story Prize 2026
To be considered for the Commonwealth Short Story Prize 2025, you must:
Be above the age of 18
Be a citizen of a Commonwealth country
The prize is only open to short fiction, but it can be in any fiction genre–science fiction, speculative fiction, historical fiction, crime, romance, literary fiction–and you may write about any subject you wish.
We accept stories written in Bengali, Chinese, Creole, English, French, Greek, Malay, Maltese, Portuguese, Samoan, Swahili, Tamil, and Turkish.
Stories that have been translated into English from any language are also accepted and the translator of any winning story receives additional prize money.
Entries from previous overall winners of the Commonwealth Short Story Prize are
not eligible.
Entrants who have won the regional prize three times are also not eligible to submit to the prize.
Entries from current members of staff at the Commonwealth Foundation are not eligible.
Entries must be unpublished and remain unpublished in any language until 1 May 2025
If your entry has been shortlisted or won a prize in other competitions, provided it has not been published, it is eligible.
Benefits of Commonwealth Short Story Prize 2026
There will be five winners, one from each region.
One regional winner will be selected as the overall winner.
The overall winner of the Commonwealth Short Story Prize will receive £5,000 and the remaining four regional winners £2,500.
If the winning short story is a translation into English, the translator will receive additional prize mon
How to Apply for Commonwealth Short Story Prize 2026 (Step by Step)
To apply for the Commonwealth Short Story Prize 2025, interested and qualified candidates should use the “CLICK HERE TO APPLY” button below to submit their entries.
