Commonwealth Short Story Prize Competition 2026

Commonwealth Short Story Prize Competition 2026

About Commonwealth Short Story Prize Competition 2026

The 2026 Commonwealth Short Story Prize is open for entries until 1 November 2025!

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 It is awarded for the best piece of unpublished short fiction (2,000–5,000 words).

Submissions should be made via the online entry form, which is available via the link above. The eligibility requirements and entry rules can be found here.

Writers have until 11.59pm GMT on 1 November 2025 to enter their story. Click here to find out what time the prize closes in your timezone.

An international judging panel will select a shortlist of around twenty-five stories, from which five regional winners are chosen. One of the regional winners is then selected as the overall winner, who receives £5,000. The regional winners will receive £2,500. All five regional winning stories will be published on Granta.

Scroll down to find out more about the 2026 judging panel, read answers to frequently asked questions about the prize, including who can enter, how stories are judged and what languages we accept.

For any inquiries regarding the prize, please email: creatives@commonwealthfoundation.com

For more details please visit the Official Website

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