5 Caribbean writers shortlisted for Commonwealth Short Story Prize
The 2024 Commonwealth Short Story Prize shortlist has been revealed and five stories submitted by writers from Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados and St Kitts and Nevis, have been selected.
The stories are ‘You Had Me at Aloe’ by Ark Ramsay of Barbados; ‘The Devil’s Son’ by Portia Subran of Trinidad and Tobago; ‘Terre Brulée’ by Celeste Mohammed of Trinidad and Tobago; ‘Wrinkle Release’ by Stefan Bindley-Taylor of Trinidad and Tobago; and ‘The Marriage Proposal’ by Heather Archibald of St Kitts and Nevis.
The five Caribbean writers are among 23 writers that have been selected by an international judging panel from 7,359 entries in a record-breaking year.
The shortlisted entries tackled topics ranging from music, football, art, film, the impact of electricity arriving in a village, and even one woman’s passion for tea. The Commonwealth Foundation said while romance and thrillers feature prominently, nearly a quarter of the shortlisted stories are speculative fiction.
This year’s shortlist hail from 13 Commonwealth countries, with writers from Mauritius, Rwanda and St Kitts and Nevis being featured for the very first time.
Five regional winners will be announced on May 29 and the overall winner will be announced on June 26, 2024.
The shortlisted stories will be published in adda, the online literary magazine of the Commonwealth Foundation.
The Short Story Prize is awarded annually for the best piece of unpublished short fiction from the Commonwealth. Regional winners each receive £2,500 and the overall winner receives £5,000.