Five writers—chosen from a record-breaking 7,920 entrants—have been announced as regional winners of “the world’s most global literature prize,” the Commonwealth Short Story Prize. The overall winner will be announced on Wednesday, June 25, 2025.
The Commonwealth Short Story Prize is administered by the Commonwealth Foundation. The prize is awarded for the best piece of unpublished short fiction (2000-5000 words). Regional winners receive £2,500 GBP and the overall winner receives £5,000 GBP. The winning stories are published online by Granta and in a special print collection by Paper + Ink.
The year two out of the five regional winners embrace Caribbean roots: the winner from the Caribbean region is Subraj Singh from Guyana, and the winner representing Canada and Europe is Chanel Sutherland from Canada/Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. (See their short story descriptions below). Here are excerpts from the press release:
The Commonwealth Foundation has announced five regional winners of the Commonwealth Short Story Prize, the world’s most global literary prize. This year’s prize attracted the highest-ever number of entrants, 10 per cent more than in 2024. The regional winners are Joshua Lubwama from Uganda (Africa region), Faria Basher from Bangladesh (Asia region), Chanel Sutherland from Canada/Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (Canada and Europe Region), Subraj Singh from Guyana (Caribbean region), and Kathleen Ridgwell from Australia (Pacific region). They will now go through to the final round of judging and the overall winner will be announced on Wednesday 25 June 2025.
Taking the reader from a surf shack in Australia to a village in Guyana on the eve of independence, the stories tackle powerful themes head-on. We read of a clash between generations as a boy’s illiterate mother fears and resents the unconventional newcomer; the lost memories of enslaved Africans for whom storytelling is their final act of defiance; the legacy of colonialism reflected in a demon that threatens to prey on a young baby; the pressures on young women in their twenties to get married and rear children—or face dire consequences; and how two young people form an unlikely friendship in the face of racism and family pressure.
Chair of the Judges, Dr Vilsoni Hereniko,said, ‘These stories illuminate many aspects of human nature and demonstrate true mastery of the short story form. Each tale shows that geography matters in storytelling. They are works of fiction that are inseparable from the local culture and history from which they have sprung. They have colour and emotional resonance—and they moved me deeply. Congratulations to the regional winners and judges!’
The Commonwealth Short Story Prize is awarded annually for the best piece of unpublished short fiction from any of the 56 Commonwealth member countries. It is the most accessible and international of all writing competitions: in addition to English, entries can be submitted in Bengali, Chinese, Creole, French, Greek, Malay, Maltese, Portuguese, Samoan, Swahili, Tamil, and Turkish.
The winning stories are:
Africa: ‘Mothers Not Appearing in Search’ by Joshua Lubwama (Uganda)
Asia: ‘An Eye and a Leg’ by Faria Basher (Bangladesh)
Canada/Europe: ‘Descend’ by Chanel Sutherland (Canada/Saint Vincent and the Grenadines)
Caribbean: ‘Margot’s Run’ by Subraj Singh (Guyana)
Pacific: ‘Crab Sticks and Lobster Rolls’ by Kathleen Ridgwell (Australia)
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[. . .] Canada and Europe: ‘Descend’ by Chanel Sutherland (Canada/Saint Vincent and the Grenadines) As a slave ship sinks, enslaved Africans share their life stories. Their voices rise in defiance, illuminating memory, resilience and hope.
Chanel Sutherland is a Vincentian Canadian writer of fiction and creative nonfiction. Her debut short story collection, Layaway Child, will be published by House of Anansi in 2026. Chanel won the 2021 CBC Nonfiction Prize and the 2022 CBC Short Story Prize and received the 2022 Mairuth Sarsfield Mentorship. CBC Books named her one of 30 Writers to Watch in 2022.
[. . .] Caribbean: ‘Margot’s Run’ by Subraj Singh (Guyana) A new mother ventures into the night to protect her child from a bloodthirsty creature.
Subraj Singh is a writer from Guyana. He has an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Maryland and is an alum of Clarion West and Tin House. He is a former resident of the International Writing Program at the University of Iowa. His fiction has appeared in AGNI, New England Review, and Gulf Coast Journal.
Press contact: Ruth Killick on publicity@ruthkillick.co.uk or +44 (0) 7880 703741
Also visitcommonwealthfoundation.com
Also see our previous post, https://repeatingislands.com/2025/04/15/2025-commonwealth-short-story-prize-shortlist/