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Now in its seventh year, the Prize is for the best piece of unpublished short fiction in English.   Twenty-four outstanding stories from fourteen countries have been selected by an international judging panel from 5182 entries from 48 Commonwealth countries.

Chair of the judges, novelist and short story writer Sarah Hall, said of this year’s shortlist:  ‘The versatility and power of the short story is abundantly clear in this shortlist. With such a range of subject, style, language and imagination, it is clear what a culturally important and relevant form it is, facilitating many different creative approaches, many voices and versions of life.  With a panel of judges also spanning the globe there was a sense of depth and breadth to the selection process, and each commonwealth region showcases the very best of its traditions, adaptations, and contemporary approaches.  This is such a great, unique prize, one that seeks to uphold both literary community and particularity, crossing borders with the ambition of collating our common and unique stories. It is an enormous pleasure, and illuminating, to have been part of the reading process’. 

The Prize is judged by an international panel of writers, representing each of the five regions of the Commonwealth. The 2018 judges are Damon Galgut (Africa), Sunila Galappatti (Asia), Kateri Akiwenzie-Damm (Canada and Europe), Mark McWatt (Caribbean) and Paula Morris (Pacific).

http://www.commonwealthwriters.org/2018-cssp-shortlist/