Nigerian writers have secured a significant presence on the 2026 Commonwealth Short Story Prize longlist, accounting for over 10 per cent of the global selections.
The Commonwealth Foundation announced the list on April 14, identifying 25 shortlisted writers alongside a broader longlist of high-quality entries from across the 56 member states.
This year’s competition was exceptionally rigorous, attracting 7,806 entries. The Nigerian contingent comprises 22 writers, including Safiya Hamza Jibrin, Olakunle Ologunro, and Caleb Ozovehe Ajinomoh. Other notable inclusions are Anjola Olusola, Rotimi Lekan-Afinni, and Flora Nwakibie. Their stories range in theme from cultural heritage to contemporary social dynamics, featuring titles such as “To Forget How to Cook Egusi” and “The Central Bank of Happiness”.
While the longlisted stories will not be published by the Foundation, organisers described the authors as voices to watch in the coming years. The selection process was highly selective, with fewer than 200 entries reaching this stage from the thousands submitted.
The Commonwealth Short Story Prize remains a premier platform for unpublished fiction, providing visibility for writers from diverse regions. The Nigerian presence on the list underscores the country’s continued influence on the global literary stage. The Commonwealth Foundation noted that the stories selected this year sparked significant discussion among the judging panel during the deliberation process.
See the Nigerians on the longlist:
‘A Love Affair with Italy’, Safiya Hamza Jibrin (Nigeria)
‘All the Beauty We Leave Behind’, Anjola Olusola (Nigeria)
‘At the Margins of Truth’, Ubaydah (Nigeria)
‘Children of God’, Olakunle Ologunro (Nigeria)
‘Freeuse’, Rotimi Lekan-Afinni (Nigeria)
‘Hear My Cry (Gbohunmi)’, Olubukunmi Jokotoye (Nigeria)
‘Her Mother’s Daughter’, Praise Sosina (Nigeria)
‘Jay and the Flower Thief’, Suleiman Ayuba (Nigeria)
‘Journey to Mercury’, Ugochukwu Okeke (Nigeria)
‘Long Vacation’, David Emeka (Nigeria)
‘Nobody’, Itunu Taiwo (Nigeria)
‘Nothing but Goodluck’, Dorcas Agbogun (Nigeria)
‘The Central Bank of Happiness’, Caleb Ozovehe Ajinomoh (Nigeria)
‘The Day I Died’, Tony Okonji (Nigeria)
‘The Passage’, Olorunfemi Adedeji (Nigeria)
‘The River Remembers’, Emmanuel Ejikeme (Nigeria)
‘The Sin Eater’, Desmond Udeh (Nigeria)
‘The Weight of Things Unsaid’, Femi Wallace (Nigeria)
‘To Forget How to Cook Egusi’, Flora Nwakibie (Nigeria)
‘What If He Finds Out??’, Akpo Uyeh (Nigeria)
‘When Drums Go Silent’, Kenneth Ejogo (Nigeria)
‘Yellow Birds, No Ret
urn’, Lighthouse (Nigeria)
