Our cultural initiatives Amplifying lesser-heard voices: the Commonwealth Short Story Prize
Presented annually for the best piece of unpublished short fiction, the Commonwealth Short Story Prize brings stories from new and emerging voices to an international audience. Stories are invited in 12 languages—with the addition of Creole this year—as well as translated into English from any language.
© Maria D’Almeida
The 2021 prize was awarded to Sri Lankan writer Kanya D’Almeida for her story, I Cleaned The—. Kanya signed with an agent following the announcement of her win, cementing the Foundation’s reputation as a springboard for emerging talent. In announcing the five regional winners last year, judges recognised the ‘captivating’ stories that tackled themes including exploitation, social justice, exclusion and belonging. The regional winning stories were again published online by Granta and the remaining shortlisted stories were published on adda, our online magazine. From invitations to moderate events, lead workshops, and join judging panels, to being approached by agents, the prize gives visibility to all the shortlisted writers.
‘If you are a writer—which is to say, a person who cannot exist without writing—then you must avail yourself of this opportunity to have your work read and amplified and championed by one of the most diverse communities of writers anywhere in the literary world.’
‘As a queer writer, queer stories and writers are still marginalised in our culture. The prize, because of its reach, can make the marginal central.’
Kanya D’Almeida, Sri Lanka, 2021 winner
Moso Sematlane, Lesotho, shortlisted in 2021
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