This month, hundreds of writers will be writing and rewriting their stories before submitting them for the 2023 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 It is awarded for the best piece of unpublished short fiction (2,000–5,000 words).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.
Once the deadline passes, it’s over to the expert judging panel to decide on the shortlisted and winning stories. One of the judges is Selina Tusitala Marsh ONZM FRSNZ, the New Zealand poet and academic, and New Zealand Poet Laureate for 2017–2019.
She and her fellow judges bring a wealth of literary knowledge and writing experience from different backgrounds and cultures. Together, our panel is well placed to appreciate the creative endeavour involved in every story.
Meet the 2023 judges
Let’s learn more about the panel and their credentials 👇
Our Chair is Bilal Tanweer, an award-winning Pakistani writer and translator.
Rémy Ngamije is a writer and photographer. In 2021 he made history as the first Namibian to be named African regional winner of the prize.
Ameena Hussein is a Sri Lankan author and publisher. She won the 2005 State Literary Prize with Zillij, a collection of short stories.
Madeleine Thien is a Canadian writer and critic. She has received Canada’s two highest literary honours, the Giller Prize and the Governor-General’s Literary Award for Fiction.
Mac Donald Dixon writes fiction, plays and poetry. In 2005 he was awarded Saint Lucia’s Cultural Development Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award.
Selina Tusitala Marsh is a performer and author. She was previously New Zealand’s Poet Laureate and a Commonwealth Poet.
The judges will carefully select a winner from thousands of entrants to the prize. The next month is your opportunity to write a short story that wows them.
