Four Nigerian writers have been shortlisted for the 2026 Commonwealth Short Story Prize, one of the world’s most competitive literary awards, which received nearly 8,000 entries this year.
The writers Hussani Abdulrahim, Oluwatoke Adejoye, Dawn Immanuel and Ola W. Halim were selected from a 25-member shortlist drawn from 14 countries across the Commonwealth.
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All in their early thirties, the Nigerian writers made up four of the seven African finalists, alongside entries from Ghana, South Africa and Kenya. Their shortlisted works are Arewa Girls by Abdulrahim, New Things by Adejoye, The God under the Bed by Immanuel, and Shock Me I Shock You by Halim, who was also shortlisted in 2021.
The 2026 edition attracted 7,806 entries from 54 Commonwealth countries, with the shortlisted writers comprising 11 men and 14 women aged between 25 and 68.
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Global competition
An international panel of judges selected the entries, highlighting the diversity of themes and storytelling approaches reflected in the shortlist.
The stories explore a wide range of subjects, including grief, migration, conflict and identity, with characters drawn from diverse backgrounds, including musicians, athletes and migrant workers.
The shortlist also reflects the prize’s multilingual scope, with entries originally written in Bengali and Malay making the final selection.
Chair of the judges, Louise Doughty, praised the quality of submissions, noting the difficulty of narrowing down the entries.
“It was thegreatest of privileges to be Chair of Judges for this year’s Commonwealth Short Story Prize. Thankyou to my fellow judges, thank you to all the team at the Commonwealth Foundation but thank you most of all to all the writers who entered this year’s prize. With so much beautiful writing to consider, and so many examples of excellent prose, our task felt almost impossible. How to compare a lush, descriptive story with elements of magic realism to a sparse and understated account of city life?
“How to put one story aside with its beautifully drawn characters in favour of another that left us guessing and gasping for more? Ultimately, our choices for the shortlist came down to authorswho were not only excellent writers but, we felt, also had a grasp on the unique pleasures of theshort story form, how it is a miniature carved in words that holds all the potential of a full-length novel in a few dense brushstrokes. We believe the writers in this shortlist have achieved all that and more, and we are immensely proud of our selection,” she said.
What Next?
The shortlisted writers will advance to the next stage of the competition, with five regional winners, one from each Commonwealth region, to be announced on 13 May. The overall winner will be revealed in late June.
The Commonwealth Short Story Prize is awarded annually for the best unpublished short fiction from the organisation’s 56 member countries. It is widely regarded as one of the most accessible international writing competitions, allowing submissions in multiple languages.
Razmi Farook, Director-General of the Commonwealth Foundation, said the prize continues to reflect the breadth of storytelling across member countries. “Congratulations to all the shortlisted writers. Each year, the Commonwealth Short Story Prize becomes more competitive, and this year’s shortlist reflects the remarkable creativity found across our Commonwealth,” he said.
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Africa’s presence
The strong showing by Nigerian writers highlights the country’s continued influence in contemporary African literature, with emerging voices gaining recognition on global platforms.
Across the African shortlist, the selected stories examine themes ranging from personal loss and displacement to social change and resilience, reflecting broader experiences within the region.
