On 14 April, we announced the 25 writers selected for the 2026 Commonwealth Short Story Prize shortlist. With 7,806 entries this year, the prize remains highly competitive. Alongside the shortlisted writers, many other stories impressed the judges, sparked discussion and came close to selection. Fewer than 200 entries reached this stage.
We are pleased to recognise these longlisted writers by publishing their names here. While their stories will not be published, these are voices to watch: writers whose work we hope to see more of in the years ahead.
Learn more about this year’s shortlist, and find out how to enter the prize.
Longlisted writers:
‘The Cows Were Listening’, Caiphus Mangenela (Botswana)
‘The Heart’s Algorithm’, Leogah (Cameroon)
‘The Palm Wine Widow’, Mohammadou Bachir (Cameroon)
‘The Whistle Beneath the Bridge’, Pretty (Cameroon)
‘A Wife for Our Husband’, Yeayi Kobina (Ghana)
‘Salt of the Earth’, Mclord Selasi (Ghana)
‘Beautiful People’, Muthoni Wa Gichuru (Kenya)
‘Four Fish, Five People’, Renee Akitelek Mboya (Kenya)
‘Invisible Cartography’, Dinah Masanda (Kenya)
‘Spaces’, Daphy (Kenya)
‘The Eighth Day’, Awuor Ouma (Kenya)
‘The Palace Street’, Johnson Matandi (Kenya)
‘The Shed’, Iman Verjee (Kenya)
‘The Space Between Voices’, Bodges Mugendi (Kenya)
‘The Walls of Cush’, Christabel Muhadia (Kenya)
‘Where Seeds Sprout’, Juliet Puleng Selebeli (Lesotho)
‘Debra Messing’, Fatsani Ngalande (Malawi)
‘And the Silence Fades…’, (‘Et le Silence S’efface’, translated from French), Yvonne Stephen (Mauritius)
‘Those Who Remain’, (‘Os Que Fikam’, translated from Portuguese), Eusébio Sanjane (Mozambique)
‘The Last Mango Tree’, Sylvia Nelago Iyambo (Namibia)
‘A Love Affair with Italy’, Safiya Hamza Jibrin (Nigeria)
‘All the Beauty We Leave Behind’, Anjola Olusola (Nigeria)
‘At the Margins of Truth’, Ubaydah (Nigeria)
‘Children of God’, Olakunle Ologunro (Nigeria)
‘Freeuse’, Rotimi Lekan-Afinni (Nigeria)
‘Hear My Cry (Gbohunmi)’, Olubukunmi Jokotoye (Nigeria)
‘Her Mother’s Daughter’, Praise Sosina (Nigeria)
‘Jay and the Flower Thief’, Suleiman Ayuba (Nigeria)
‘Journey to Mercury’, Ugochukwu Okeke (Nigeria)
‘Long Vacation’, David Emeka (Nigeria)
‘Nobody’, Itunu Taiwo (Nigeria)
‘Nothing but Goodluck’, Dorcas Agbogun (Nigeria)
‘The Central Bank of Happiness’, Caleb Ozovehe Ajinomoh (Nigeria)
‘The Day I Died’, Tony Okonji (Nigeria)
‘The Passage’, Olorunfemi Adedeji (Nigeria)
‘The River Remembers’, Emmanuel Ejikeme (Nigeria)
‘The Sin Eater’, Desmond Udeh (Nigeria)
‘The Weight of Things Unsaid’, Femi Wallace (Nigeria)
‘To Forget How to Cook Egusi’, Flora Nwakibie (Nigeria)
‘What If He Finds Out??’, Akpo Uyeh (Nigeria)
‘When Drums Go Silent’, Kenneth Ejogo (Nigeria)
‘Yellow Birds, No Return’, Lighthouse (Nigeria)
‘The Grief with Weight’, Sil (Rwanda)
‘The Names We Carry’, Jean Berckimas Ndayisenga (Rwanda)
‘The Silence Between Drums’, Daniel Hagenimana (Rwanda)
‘Bangs on an Island’, Megan Bosman (South Africa)
‘Buried Between Breath and Rock’, Bantu Stephens (South Africa)
‘His Touch, Her Tomb’, C. S. Hadebe (South Africa)
‘Inkanyamba Kajengu’, Owethu Makhathini (South Africa)
‘Mirrors in the Fog’, Manjusha Sunil (South Africa)
‘The Epitaph of an Inexistent Soul’, Thato Senabe (South Africa)
‘The Night I Went Searching for He at the Bottom of Too Many Cliffs’, Pulane Mlilo Mpondo (South Africa)
‘The Sister-Wives’, Sara Yamba (South Africa)
‘Upon the Rack’, Jarred Thompson (South Africa)
‘Letters from the Lake’, Enock Maregesi (Tanzania)
‘The Language of Hands’, Thomas Meshack (Tanzania)
‘The Unwritten Code’, Said Khassim (Tanzania)
‘Ashes of a Promise’, Kavuma Sharif (Uganda)
‘Millet in the Rain’, Jemi Chutzpah (Uganda)
‘The Keeper of the River Mpanga’, Yvonne Namara (Uganda)
‘The Tsavo Testament’, Precious Colette Kemigisha (Uganda)
‘A Cry from the Soul’, Michael Mwanza (Zambia)
‘Give Them Names’, Mbozi Haimbe (Zambia)
‘Puku’, Mikha Mweetwa (Zambia)
‘The Pulse of the Zambezi’, Janet Namfukwe (Zambia)
‘First Ring’, Rubaiya Murshed (Bangladesh)
‘Prison Ballad’, Maleka Parveen (Bangladesh)
‘The Boy Who Wore the Sky’, Md. Mohtasim (Bangladesh)
’11:40 Am Arrival’, Amara Bavani Ramdev (India)
‘Ashes of the Unburnt Pyre’, Shubhankar Sengupta (India)
‘Bandel Local’, Antara Mukherjee (India)
‘Ente Kurumban’, Chandra Sundeep (India)
‘Final Exit’, Ishita Pugla (India)
‘Friendly Spirits’, Vrushali Samant (India)
‘Letters to Noor’, Trishali Chauhan (India)
‘Macaques of Kathgodam’, Lavanya Arora (India)
‘Migrants on Opposite Sides of a Window’, Smita Nair (India)
‘Spare Change for a Cassette’, Rubani Narang (India)
‘Taj Paltaa, the Rooster’, Anukrti Upadhyay (India)
‘The Beast in the Kitchen’, Ponnu Elizabeth Mathew (India)
‘The Circus Plague’, Nandha Kumar Krishnadasan (India)
‘The Muses of Happiness’, Sree (India)
‘What the River Kept’, @The.Inkspired (India)
‘Standing In’, V. S. Lai (Malaysia)
‘Janani…’, Saadia (Pakistan)
‘Memories on a Quartz Plate’, (‘水晶記憶’, translated from Chinese), Mui Lai Chun 卡路 (Singapore)
‘The Best Thing I’ve Ever Created’, Sarah Ang (Singapore)
‘The Riverbank’, (‘河岸’, translated from Chinese), Soon Soon Chuah (Singapore)
‘A Small House on the Hills’, Nipuni Ranaweera (Sri Lanka)
‘Skinned’, Lishani Ramanayake (Sri Lanka)
‘The Water Keepers of Hambantota’, Bandula (Sri Lanka)
‘The Weight of the Water’, Farah Rawzeen (Sri Lanka)
‘What She Left Me’, Nuha (Sri Lanka)
‘Auto-Fiction’, Krishnakumar Sankaran (Canada)
‘Bolingo’, Haricot Jones (Canada)
‘Bugbite’, Israa Hassan (Canada)
‘Crossing the Line’, Rhonda Collis (Canada)
‘Pecha Kucha for Lois Inside’, Alexina Dalgetty (Canada)
‘Ammoghostos’, Erini Loucaides (Cyprus)
‘The Skin of the Desert’, (translated from Greek), Ismini Pafiti (Cyprus)
‘2 Carrots’, Michelle Gialanze (Malta)
‘Aqua Alta’, Holly Sargent (United Kingdom)
‘Birdsong’, Sam Wilkinson (United Kingdom)
‘Her Own Words’, Alice Langley (United Kingdom)
‘Just out of Reach’, Shanthi Gunesekera (United Kingdom)
‘Ledsome’, Keir Teasdale (United Kingdom)
‘Never Rarely Sometimes Often’, Tess Little (United Kingdom)
‘Now You’re an Earthworm, Will You Remember Me?’, Alex Harford (United Kingdom)
‘Of Being Such a God’, Jonny Aldridge (United Kingdom)
‘Push’, Jack Greenwood (United Kingdom)
‘Saint Lucy’, Alan Gray (United Kingdom)
‘Salt of the Earth’, Sarah Cotton (United Kingdom)
‘The Bridges’, Caitlin Upshall (United Kingdom)
‘The Gift That Keeps on Giving’, Robyn Jefferson (United Kingdom)
‘The Moonflower’, Bili Nwaka (United Kingdom)
‘The Painted Line’, Timothy Collyer (United Kingdom)
‘The Pilgrims’, Ben Siddall-Jones (United Kingdom)
‘These Days’, Patrick Cash (United Kingdom)
‘Tide Pools’, Samantha Young (United Kingdom)
‘A Story of Love and Betrayal’, Ulah Wijnaldum (Antigua and Barbuda)
‘Under the Silk Cotton Tree’, Jonella B. Solliegne (Antigua and Barbuda)
‘Viola Pan’, Lester Simon (Antigua and Barbuda)
‘Between the Light and the Salt’, G. W. Ahrens (Bahamas)
‘Siamese Dream’, Kaitlyn Babb (Bahamas)
‘The Minister Takes a Spin’, Ian Poitier (Bahamas)
’05:55:00′, Akim Goddard (Barbados)
‘The Quiet God of Sandhill’, Roseann Pile (Barbados)
‘Breakfast Fete’, Michelle Belle (Dominica)
‘The Names He Carried’, Nadege Roach (Dominica)
‘Witness’, Zephrine Royer (Dominica)
‘Heirloom’, Natasha Williams (Guyana)
‘River, Blood, Son’, Shaphan Hestick (Guyana)
‘The Old Higue’s Son’, Renesha Dhanraj (Guyana)
‘Back a Wall’, Christopher Allan Powell (Jamaica)
‘Crossing out in Cedar Valley’, Michelle Oxford (Jamaica)
‘Trodding on the King’s Highway’, Gary Neita (Jamaica)
‘Visions of Death’, Toni-Jovanka Glenn (Jamaica)
‘The House Between Seconds’, Claudine Saunders (St Kitts and Nevis)
‘The Last Meeting at Independence Square’, Venetta Smithen (St Kitts and Nevis)
‘The Man the Sea Delivered’, Vain (St Kitts and Nevis)
‘A Soft Place’, Tresha Lionel (St Lucia)
‘Manmay-La, Nou Wivé’, Amanie Mathurin (St Lucia)
‘Half Roti Is Not a Life’, Amílcar Sanatan (Trinidad and Tobago)
‘Monica’s Memoir’, Kevin Baldeosingh (Trinidad and Tobago)
‘Rubba Ding Ding’, Phillip Simon (Trinidad and Tobago)
‘The Bells Were Never Silent’, Bhagwandaye Moonoo (Trinidad and Tobago)
‘The Boy and Their Moon’, Amoroso (Trinidad and Tobago)
‘The Interpreter’, Rayne Affonso (Trinidad and Tobago)
‘The Last Mango Tree’, Alexandra Stewart (Trinidad and Tobago)
‘A Rhapsody of Chairs’, Karina Hadidjaja (Australia)
‘Colony’, Jess Woods (Australia)
‘Found Objects’, Genna Giuttari (Australia)
‘Legacy’, Andrea Green (Australia)
‘Mooncalf & Massa’, Beth Merindah (Australia)
‘Public Enemy #1’, Rubik Roy (Australia)
‘Real Warren’, Greg Foyster (Australia)
‘Standing on Shells’, Annabel Robertson (Australia)
‘Swallows Who Fly Home’, Nim (Australia)
‘The Heart Cage’, AE Macleod (Australia)
‘The Light Declines’, Oscar Revelins (Australia)
‘The Possum’, G. W. Hall (Australia)
‘The Mat Against the Mud’, Kaya (Fiji)
‘We Were Navuki Once’, Nikhat Nilofa Begg (Fiji)
‘When the Sky Remembered.’, Merewalesi Heather Rovakanaibau (Fiji)
‘Deceit’, Kate Mahony (New Zealand)
‘Hamish Has Never Seen the Moon’, Sharon Lam (New Zealand)
‘Matilda, Louisa, Lillian, My Mother, Me’, Jillian Sullivan (New Zealand)
‘Taken’, Denise Teresa O’Hagan (New Zealand)
‘What Do You Care’, Tracey Slaughter (New Zealand)
‘The Witch’s Eggs: A Tale of Two Sisters’, Lois Namia (Papua New Guinea)
‘Borrowed Sandals’, Lumepa Hald (Samoa)
‘The Keeper of Drowned Songs’, Fanly Rongoania (Solomon Islands)
‘The House of Quiet Storms’, Ilaisaane Toki (Tonga)
