Twenty-eight stories have been shortlisted by an international judging panel for the Commonwealth Short Story Prize and one of them was written by a Guyanese.
‘Where The Winds Blow’ by Cosmata Lindie has been shortlisted in the Caribbean segment of the prize.
The others in that category are ‘The Ovelias at Benzie Hill Dump’ by Alexia Tolas ( The Bahamas), ‘Road Trip and Fall’ by Demoy Lindo (Jamaica), ‘Ocoee’ by Kwame McPherson (Jamaica) and ‘Teef From Teef’ by Deborah Matthews (Trinidad and Tobago)
A release from the Commonwealth Foundation said that the writers come from 19 countries across the Commonwealth, and the shortlisted entries tackle subjects from illness, human trafficking and decay, to relationships and hope – as well as family secrets, growing up gay in a hostile world, generation gaps, bittersweet friendships, and making one’s way in the world of work.
The Commonwealth Short Story Prize is awarded annually for the best piece of unpublished short fiction from any of the Commonwealth’s 56 Member States. 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, Portuguese, Samoan, Swahili, Tamil, and Turkish. In 2023, 475 entries were submitted in languages other than English, the release said.
The stories on the 2023 shortlist were selected from a total of 6,642 entries from 56 Commonwealth countries including, for the first time, Togo and Gabon.
Chair of the Judges, Pakistani writer and translator Bilal Tanweer said, “On behalf of the jury, I am thrilled to reveal the shortlist for the 2023 Commonwealth Short Story Prize. This year’s shortlist is a concert of voices from across the Commonwealth, showcasing the richness of its writing traditions, histories, and perspectives. These stories brim with the energy and urgency of the present moment—read them to experience the beat and pulse of contemporary storytelling”.
Five judges join the Chair on the 2023 judging panel, each representing the five regions of the Commonwealth. These are Rwandan-born writer, photographer and editor, Rémy Ngamije (Africa), Sri Lankan author and publisher Ameena Hussein (Asia), British-Canadian author Katrina Best (Canada and Europe), Saint Lucian poet and novelist Mac Donald Dixon (Caribbean), and New Zealand’s former Poet Laureate, Dr. Selina Tusitala Marsh (Pacific).
The regional winners will be announced on May 17th and the overall winner on June 27th.
