The 2024 Commonwealth Short Story Prize has announced its five regional winners. Celebrated for their outstanding storytelling, the writers will now compete for the overall prize, to be revealed on June 26 during a special online ceremony.
Representing the Africa region is Reena Usha Rungoo from Mauritius. Sanjana Thakur from India has taken the prize for the Asia region. Julie Bouchard of Canada, whose work was translated from French to English by Arielle Aaronson, won for the Canada and Europe region. From Trinidad and Tobago, Portia Subran emerged as the winner for the Caribbean region. Finally, Pip Robertson from New Zealand secured the prize for the Pacific region.
These five writers, whose stories were praised for their unique voices and compelling narratives, were selected from hundreds of entries.
The prize aims to elevate voices from across the Commonwealth, emphasising the transformative power of creative expression.
The winning stories will be published online by the renowned literary magazine Granta. Readers are encouraged to explore these stories and engage with the ongoing dialogue about which one deserves the ultimate accolade. The stories, along with personal reflections from the authors and insights from the judging panel, will be available on the Commonwealth Foundation’s website.
The Commonwealth Foundation, which organises the prize, is dedicated to promoting cultural and artistic expression within the Commonwealth’s 56 member countries. The foundation’s mission is to enable people to shape the world around them through the power of storytelling and creative arts.
