The Commonwealth Foundation has announced the regional winners of the 2026 Commonwealth Short Story Prize, recognising five writers whose entries emerged from thousands of submissions across the Commonwealth.
The winners are Lisa-Anne Julien of South Africa (Africa region), Sharon Aruparayil of India (Asia region), John Edward DeMicoli of Malta (Canada and Europe region), Jamir Nazir of Trinidad and Tobago (Caribbean region), and Holly Ann Miller of New Zealand (Pacific region).
Organisers said this year’s competition received 7,806 entries from 54 countries, making it the second-highest number of submissions in the prize’s history.
Notably, all five regional winners were shortlisted for the first time, while Malta recorded its first-ever regional win in the Canada and Europe category through DeMicoli’s victory.
The winning stories explore themes of power, family tensions, resistance, courage and identity through richly layered characters and vivid settings.
Remarks
Chair of judges Louise Doughty praised the writers for what she described as their “immense confidence of tone,” noting that each story draws readers into believable worlds with compelling characters and assured prose.
The five regional winners will now proceed to the final stage of the competition, where one overall winner will be announced during an online ceremony on 30 June.
The winning stories have also been published online by Granta.
Earlier, four Nigerian writers: Hussani Abdulrahim, Oluwatoke Adejoye, Dawn Immanuel and Ola W. Halim were named among the 25 shortlisted writers selected from 14 Commonwealth countries.
The Nigerian writers accounted for four of the seven African finalists alongside writers from Ghana, Kenya and South Africa.
Their shortlisted entries were Arewa Girls by Abdulrahim, New Things by Adejoye, The God Under the Bed by Immanuel, and Shock Me I Shock You by Halim, who was previously shortlisted for the prize in 2021.
