Commonwealth shortlist: African writers

Seven African writers are on the 2026 Commonwealth Short Story Prize shortlist, including four from Nigeria, after judges cut 7,806 entries down to 25. (commonwealthfoundation.com) The Commonwealth Foundation announced the shortlist on April 14, with writers from 14 countries and ages ranging from 25 to 68. Five regional winners will be named on May 13, and the overall winner will be announced in late June 2026. (thebookseller.com) The African shortlist includes Hussani Abdulrahim for *Arewa Girls*, Oluwatoke Adejoye for *New Things*, Lois Akoma Antwi for *Orchard of Blackbirds*, Ola W. Halim for *Shock Me I Shock You*, Dawn Immanuel for *The God Under the Bed*, Lisa-Anne Julien for *Me and Ma’am*, and Ken Odak Odumbe for *The Runner’s Gift*. Four of those seven writers are Nigerian. (thebookseller.com) The prize is run by the Commonwealth Foundation and is open to unpublished short fiction from Commonwealth countries across five regions: Africa, Asia, Canada and Europe, the Caribbean, and the Pacific. Entries are accepted in English and in languages including Bengali, Chinese, French, Greek, Malay, Maltese, Portuguese, Samoan, Swahili, Tamil, and Turkish. (commonwealthfoundation.com) This year’s shortlist also includes stories translated from Bengali and Malay, while Maltese writer John Edward DeMicoli became the first writer from Malta to reach the shortlist. Three writers returned to the shortlist in 2026: Celeste Mohammed, Cosmata Lindie, and Ola W. Halim. (thebookseller.com) The judges said fewer than 200 entries reached the longlist stage, a sign of how sharply the field narrowed before the final 25 were chosen. The Foundation published the longlist separately on the same day as the shortlist announcement. (commonwealthfoundation.com) Louise Doughty chaired the 2026 panel, alongside Fred Khumalo for Africa, Rifat Munim for Asia, Norma Dunning for Canada and Europe, Sharma Taylor for the Caribbean, and Maxine Beneba Clarke for the Pacific. Regional winners receive £2,500, and the overall winner receives £5,000. (commonwealthfoundation.com; thebookseller.com) The shortlisted stories will be published in the Commonwealth Foundation’s online magazine *adda*, and the regional winners will also be published online by *Granta*. For the seven African writers on the list, the next date is May 13. (thebookseller.com)