2009 winners
The winners of the 2009 Commonwealth Short Story Competition are:
Overall Winner and regional winner Canada and Europe
Jennifer Moore
Country of citizenship: United Kingdom
Story: Table Talk
Jennifer lives in Devon, England with her husband and children (aged 9 and 6). She has an English degree from the University of Cambridge and a research Masters degree on witchcraft in English literature from the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow. Her short fiction and poetry have been published on both sides of the Atlantic.
Regional Winner for Africa
Kachi A Ozumba
Country of citizenship: Nigeria
Story: The One-Armed Thief
Kachi A Ozumba was born in Nigeria and is currently studying for a research degree at the School of English Literature, Newcastle University. His stories have appeared in various journals and anthologies, and have been broadcast on national radio. His debut novel, The Shadow of a Smile, was published in September 2009 (Alma Books).
Regional Winner for Asia
Manasi Subramaniam
Country of citizenship: India
Story: Debbie's Call
Manasi Subramaniam was born in the late 1980s and suspects that's where she belongs. A writer, a wayward philosopher and a theatre enthusiast armed with an MA in Renaissance Literature, she works at a children's publishing house in Chennai. She loves Shakespeare, the Mahabharata and the Beatles and lives for the written word.
Regional Winner for the Caribbean
Alake Pilgrim
Country of citizenship: Trinidad and Tobago
Story: Shades
Alake Pilgrim is a young writer from Trinidad and Tobago and former regional winner of the 2004 Commonwealth Short Story Competition. She is currently completing an MA in Latin American and Caribbean Studies at New York University where she is writing a feature-length screenplay as part of her final project.
Regional Winner for the Pacific
Terri-Anne Green
Country of citizenship: Australia
Story: The Colour of Rain
Terri Green is a physiotherapist working in private practise. She lives on a slice of land wedged between paddocks and rainforest one hundred kilometres north of Sydney with her husband and two sons. She loves waking up to the sound of frogs in the creek instead of a nagging alarm.
Highly Commended entries:
Africa
Juliet Barnes
Country of citizenship: Kenya
Story: Broken Glass
Ayobami Adebayo
Country of citizenship: Nigeria
Story: Dreams
Akinwumi Akinwale
Country of citizenship: Nigeria
Story: LIFO
Mbofung Carlang Ndubuisi
Country of Citizenship: Nigeria
Story: The Father's Blessing
Becky Apteker
Country of citizenship: South Africa
Story: The Sound of One Hand Clapping
Asia
Soraya Sunitra Kee Xiang Yin
Country of citizenship: Malaysia
Story: Light After Death
Archana Mohan
Country of citizenship: India
Story: The American
Praveena Shivram
Country of Citizenship: India
Story: Neer (Water)
Arjun Sudhir
Country of citizenship: India
Story: The Visit
Abeer Yusria Hoque
Country of citizenship: Bangladesh
Story: On Growing
Canada and Europe
Vanessa Savage
Country of citizenship; United Kingdom
Story: The Seasons
Dave Pescod
Country of citizenship: United Kingdom
Story: All Embracing
Minoli Salgado
Country of citizenship: United Kingdom (originally Sri Lankan citizen)
Story: Too Many Legs
Judith Allnatt
Country of Citizenship: United Kingdom
Story: Hiding in the Cracks
Caribbean
Princeton Ebanks
Country of citizenship: Jamaica
Story: Caramel
Barbara Jenkins
Country of citizenship: Trinidad and Tobago
Story: No News is Good News
Heidi N Holder
Country of Citizenship: Trinidad and Tobago
Story: Love Story No 8 – Jane and Philip
Pacific
Corinne Pentecost
Country of Citizenship: Australia
Story: Synchronicity
Felicia Willows (previously Johnston)
Country of citizenship: Australia
Story: You can't Miss it
Adrian Ziino
Country of citizenship: Australia (Permanent resident of Canada)
Story: Fifteen Minutes of Heart Failure
Lisa Merrifield
Country of Citizenship: Australia
Story: Into the Deep
