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The queen’s commonwealth essay competition 2024 is now open for entries .

‘Our Common Wealth’

The theme for the next Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), which will take place in Samoa in October 2024, is ‘One Resilient Common Future: Transforming our Common Wealth’.    

Nearly half of Commonwealth countries are Small Island Developing States like Samoa that are disproportionately affected by climate change. Communities across the Commonwealth are also facing a range of challenges, including economic growth, peace and security. Creating strong and resilient societies is now more important than ever.   

The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition 2024 asks entrants to consider how they deal with adversity, and how community and culture can be used to encourage resilience and hope in a world with a growing number of global issues.  

​ The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition 2024 is now open for entries until 15 May 2024.  Please use the widget below or  this link to submit your entries. 

​ SENIOR CATEGORY 

(Born between 16 May 2005 and 15 May 2010 (14-18 years of age)) 

​”It’s worth remembering that it is often the small steps, not the giant leaps, that bring about the most lasting change.”– Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. What small steps can you take to help tackle the climate crisis?   

• Write a speech highlighting what you think is the most challenging issue facing the world today, and how Commonwealth values can be used to solve it.      
• At the heart of Samoan way of life is ‘aiga’, meaning ‘family’ values including selflessness, hospitality, co-operation, respect and dignity. What core values and ideas from your culture can be used to enhance co-operation and community in the Commonwealth?  
• The Commonwealth’s London Declaration aimed to strive for peace, liberty and progress. Write a letter to your President or Prime Minister about how to achieve those aims. 

JUNIOR CATEGORY 

(Born on or after 16 May 2010 (under 14 years of age))

​What new habit could you adopt to positively contribute towards a greener Commonwealth?   

• Write a dialogue between yourself and a grandparent about resilience and hope. What can you share with the older generation, and what can you learn from them?  
• You are taking part in a beach clean-up and discover that you can speak to sea creatures. What are they saying, and how do you respond?
• You’re on a school exchange in a Commonwealth country different to your own. How do you make friends with people your age? (Consider similarities and differences in culture that may unite you).

Download the QCEC 2024 Flyer

The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition 2024 is now open for entries until 15 May 2024.  

Please use  this link to submit your entries

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Cambridge University Library Special Collections

Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition: write around the world

The RCS Library is delighted to announce that a significant recent deposit of essays from The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition has been added to its on-line catalogue (ARCS 20). The competition, originally established in 1883 by the Royal Commonwealth Society, and now run in partnership with Cambridge University Press, is the world’s oldest international schools’ writing contest. It reflects the society’s enduring aim to foster the creative talent of young people throughout the Commonwealth by encouraging literacy, self-expression and imagination.  Last year’s competition, which attracted almost 13,500 entries from primary to Sixth Form students from virtually every Commonwealth country, emphasises its continuing success. The theme of the 2017 competition is ‘A Commonwealth for Peace.’ The library already holds essays from 1922 to 1985 (with some gaps), and all surviving prize winning entries from these years have been digitised and are freely available on the Apollo digital repository .

The latest deposit includes prize winners from the years 1991 to 2009, and a very large collection of commended and other essays for the years 2002-09, totalling more than 20,000. The essays represent an excellent resource for many fields of research relating to education, and for assessing the opinions of intelligent, articulate and engaged young adults throughout the Commonwealth on a host of contemporary political, social and cultural issues. It is impossible here to list all the topics for each year, which range from the light-hearted to the serious, or to single out individual essays. The essays are occasionally accompanied by examiners’ reports, which contain insightful comparative analysis of entries, as an example from 2009 illustrates. One examiner of essays written by thirteen to sixteen year olds (Class B) commented upon the originality, insight and eloquence with which many responded to the themes ‘Tracks’ and ‘The Long Way Home.’  Many reflected upon the theme of war: its aftermath, consequences and the return to a home country after fighting abroad, while others addressed concerns of especial relevance to young adults such as unwanted pregnancies, abortion and abusive relationships.  The examiner concluded, ‘It is remarkable to see such young writers master such sophisticated themes and topics spurred by such vague titles.’

A dedicated and conscientious team of Reader Services Assistants in the Rare Books Department have listed each essay, recording name of author, age, school, country, gender and essay topic. Thanks to their hard work, it will be easy for researchers to quickly sort through the essays, identifying for example, how many students from a particular country or gender answered individual questions, whether they lived in the developed or developing worlds, or studied in state or private schools. In the Class B examiner’s group discussed above, for example, 62 of 150 writers (almost half), were inspired by the theme ‘The Long Way Home.’  They represented thirty different countries, with the three largest numbers of entries drawn from Singapore, Pakistan and India.  Many of the essays are illustrated, especially by younger authors, accompanied by beautiful original art work or photographs, which reinforce their themes. The three examples shown here were the work of eleven and twelve year olds from Class D 2009.

Researchers wishing to view these recently-acquired essays and their listings, and to request reproductions, must first consult staff in the Royal Commonwealth Society Department.

A catalogue of the full collection may be found here .

10 comments

Hi there.. I received a highly commended for Category D (?) in 1997 and was wondering if there are any records of it in the archives? I remember the RCS had a physical book listing all names of prize winners, and my name was in it at the local library many years ago. I would like to know if there is any formal record as such and if the essays are still available?

Hi there, I’d like to know if there were entries from Nigeria between 1984 and 1986. Would also like to know the year Nigeria began to participate in the Queen’s commonwealth essays.

The University Library is currently closed as part of the COVID-19 lockdown, but I will reply as soon as I have access to the essay competition archives.

All the best, John

Thank you so very much!

Hello, I would like to know if we can type the essays, or have to write them.

If you are thinking about participating in the current competition, information about submitting essays may be found here, https://www.royalcwsociety.org/essay-competition .

Hello John, Thank you.

Hello, I would like to know where can I see the winners’ written essays? Are they published?

The entries from 1922-1985 have been scanned and are available in our Apollo repository: https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/225222 Copyright in the essays resides with the Royal Commonwealth Society. If you wish to re-publish the essays in any format you will need to seek permission from the Society. The most recent winning entries are available on the RCS website: https://www.royalcwsociety.org/essay-competition

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Essay Competition

Every year, the Commonwealth Essay Competition inspires thousands of young writers from all over the world. Organised by the RCS, this international youth writing contest has been running for over 100 years – the world’s oldest and largest – and is a highly regarded and popular international education project.

Open to all Commonwealth citizens aged 18 or under, the Essay Competition offers young people the opportunity to make their voice heard on a global platform, encouraging students to engage with issues which are important to them.

THE TOPICS FOR THE 2011 COMMONWEALTH ESSAY COMPETITION HAVE NOW BEEN ANNOUNCED! click to read

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The Queen's Commonwealth Essay Competition

The Queen's Commonwealth Essay Competition 2016 is now open for entries

The Queen's Commonwealth Essay Competition 2016

The Royal Commonwealth Society has a rich history of nurturing the creative talents of young people around the Commonwealth, promoting literacy and expression by celebrating excellence and imagination.

The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition, run in partnership with Cambridge University Press, gives young people from diverse backgrounds a platform to express their views about the world and their dreams for the future.

This year’s theme, ‘An Inclusive Commonwealth’, asks young people to reflect on what it means to live in a diverse but tolerant, equitable and fair society. The topics for both the Junior and Senior categories allow for the exploration of this theme in a number of ways, including: the significance of community; the importance of diversity and difference; the question of belonging; the values of tolerance, respect and understanding; and the sense of shared responsibility that exists within the Commonwealth today.

The competition is open to young writers aged 18 and under who are living in, or a national of, a Commonwealth country or territory. Special dispensation applies to entrants from Hong Kong, The Gambia, Ireland and Zimbabwe who are entitled to enter the competition. All entries must be in English and are to be submitted online. The deadline for entries is 1st May 2016. The flyer can be downloaded for display in classrooms, to share with friends, colleagues and interested parties, and for reference to the topics.

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Commonwealth Short Story Prize

We are delighted to present the 2024 Commonwealth Short Story Prize shortlist. The 23 writers have been selected by an international judging panel from 7,359 entries in a record-breaking year.  

This year’s shortlist hail from 13 Commonwealth countries. Writers from Mauritius, Rwanda and St Kitts and Nevis feature for the very first time.  

Many of the stories are told through the eyes of children—tales of parents splitting up, of school, and of the often baffling behaviour of adults around them. Older characters also appear—sometimes destructive, sometimes inspiring. Five of the stories reflect on motherhood in very different ways. Others tell of forbidden love in a hostile world. Topics range from music, football, art, film, the impact of electricity arriving in a village, and even one woman’s passion for tea.  While romance and thrillers feature prominently, nearly a quarter of the shortlisted stories are speculative fiction.  

Chair of the Judges, Ugandan-British novelist and short story writer Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi says : ‘This is a dream list for lovers of the short story form. You’ll be amazed and thrilled, startled and shocked, and heartbroken and humbled in equal measure by the skill and talent, imagination and creativity.’  

Dr Anne T. Gallagher AO, Director-General of the Commonwealth Foundation, added : ‘The Short Story Prize is legendary for unearthing and nurturing the rich creative talent of our Commonwealth. This year is no exception. My congratulations to the 23 writers whose stories will now secure a truly global audience.’  

Five regional winners will be announced on 29 May and the overall winner will be announced on 26 June. The shortlisted stories will be published in adda, our online literary magazine.  

Scroll down to see all the shortlisted writers, as well as more details about their stories.

The 2025 prize will open for submissions on 1 September 2024. 

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.  

For any inquiries regarding the prize, please email: [email protected]

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The Shortlist

The 2024 Commonwealth Short Story Prize shortlist was announced on 17 April. Twenty-three writers have been selected for the shortlist after 7,359 entered stories this year’s prize.

• ''A River Then the Road'' , Pip Robertson New Zealand
• ''Dite'' , Reena Usha Rungoo Mauritius
• ''Nobody Owns a Fire'' , Jennifer Severn Australia
• ''Mananangal'' , M Donato New Zealand
• ''Wrinkle Release'' , Stefan Bindley-Taylor Trinidad and Tobago
• ''So Clean'' , Anna Woods New Zealand
• ''You Had Me at Aloe'' , Ark Ramsay Barbados
• ''Terre Brulée'' , Celeste Mohammed Trinidad and Tobago
• ''Thambi, Thambi'' , Bharath Kumar India
• ''Aishwarya Rai'' , Sanjana Thakur India
• ''Mother May I'' , Ajay Patri India
• ''When Things End'' , Sarah Balakrishnan Canada
• ''What Burns'' , Julie Bouchard Canada
• ''Your Own Dear, Obedient Daughters'' , F.E. Choe Canada
• ''Milk'' , Eaton Hamilton Canada
• ''Sookie Woodrow Goes to Heaven'' , Ceilidh Michelle Canada
• ''The Devil’s Son'' , Portia Subran Trinidad and Tobago
• ''Fadi'' , Azags Agandaa Ghana
• ''House No. 49'' , Olajide Omojarabi Nigeria
• ''A Song Sung in Secret'' , Jayne Bauling South Africa
• ''The Goat'' , Jean Pierre Nikuze Rwanda
• ''The Marriage Proposal'' , Heather Archibald St Kitts and Nevis
• ''The Woman Upstairs'' , Audrey Tan Singapore

A 12-year-old girl and her brother visit their troubled father for the weekend. Mistrust of her own body and a sense of duty to protect her father from the consequences of his actions lead her into danger.

‘Alexis woke to pain in her stomach. The room was dark and still, and she could tell straight away that their dad was out. The pain came and went, a dull stabbing. After a while, headlights glared through the thin curtain, swooped across the wall.’

Pip Robertson has had short stories published in journals and anthologies in print and online. She has a Master of Arts from the International Institute of Modern Letters at Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington. She lives in Whanganui-A-Tara, Aotearoa New Zealand, with her partner, daughter and dogs.

Dite , which means ‘tea’ in Creole, is an exploration of a Mauritian woman’s love of tea and of her ties to the colonial history of tea. Each tea in her collection contains an olfactory memory in which her relationship with education, language, sex and other women is captured.

‘As Durga inhaled the tea her mother had made her, its aroma bloomed into a remembrance as intense and engulfing as it was evanescent. A childhood memory, which had coalesced around the long-buried but instantly familiar fragrance of the tea, invaded her nostrils.’

Reena Usha Rungoo is a Mauritian writer, scholar, teacher, speaker, and mother. As an islander, an African and a diasporic South Asian, she uses the language of fiction (whether as a writer or a literary critic) to speak on how colonial violence infiltrates our beings, our languages and our desires, and on the creative ways in which we resist. She is an assistant professor of literature at Harvard University.

Photo: Ashvin Ramdin

Two men explore a later-life sexual re-awakening against a small-town culture that demands conformity and secrecy.

‘Yeah, nobody owned a fire, and you never knew who would turn up, drawn by some primeval force—warmth and light, sure, but something more, something timeworn and holy. He caught himself, getting all philosophical again. He scuffed the toe of his boot in the charcoal-flecked dirt.’

Jennifer Severn has worked as a commercial and technical writer and has always written for pleasure. She has written local interest stories for her local community newspaper, The Triangle , since 2003. Her manuscript Long Road to Dry River was shortlisted for the Finch Prize for Memoir in 2018. An early manuscript for her novella Garnet was shortlisted for the Viva la Novella prize in 2022. Read her blog at www.jennifersevern.com.au .

Photo: John van Horssen

While visiting the Philippines, a young woman becomes entangled in the life and fate of her cousin, Magda.

‘Mirinda doused herself with the hose first, then me. The water was blood warm. I closed my eyes and turned slowly in the baptismal spray, pretending not to be disappointed. There was a clap of skin, jandals slapping the road and the soles of feet. It was a group of grinning men in loose singlets and basketball shorts.’

M Donato is a Filipino-New Zealander living in Te-Whanganui-a-Tara. She has a BA in English Literature from Victoria University and an MA from the International Institute of Modern Letters. Her work has been published in Turbine, Newsroom , and A Clear Dawn: New Asian Voices from Aotearoa, New Zealand.

A young narrator moves to New York in the year 2058 and befriends a local laundromat owner. Things take a turn as the narrator discovers that the laundromat owner is actually a former reggae star who plans to use a washing machine to turn back time for one final concert.

‘The laundromat itself, however, was a bit less so. The walls had faded into a sun-bleached algae color, and the floor was peppered with mildew and dust. Beige washing machines and dryers stood in neat rows, threaded together by a mysterious configuration of clunky aluminum tubing.’

Stefan Bindley-Taylor is a Trinidadian-American musician, writer, and educator. Raised in Maryland, he currently resides in Brooklyn, New York. Through his writing, he renders absurdist and surrealist worlds from a West Indian perspective. His prose is inspired by the work of authors such as V.S. Naipaul, Gish Jen, and Frantz Fanon. As a musician, he performs in a self-produced hardcore project called FISHLORD and an alternative hip-hop project called Nafets.

‘So Clean’ is the story of a young woman forced to face her many fears before they consume her.

‘Still on the bed, Bel opens her eyes. The light has dropped, gone bluish and the air has a bite, the smell of compost has receded. The party will be getting going now. She wants to go back but her mother is right. Life’s dirty. Life’s hard.’

Anna Woods is a writer from Tāmaki Makaurau, New Zealand. Her short fiction and poetry has appeared in journals and anthologies such as Landfall, takahē, The Poetry NZ Yearbook and Geometry , amongst others. Her work has been recognised with various awards and residencies. Most recently, one of her stories won New Zealand’s richest short story competition, the Sargeson Prize. She holds a Master of Creative Writing from the University of Auckland.

In the shadow of inevitable grief, a young transfeminine person distrusts the promises of a new love.

‘I crossed the road and bought two large pizzas, topped with cheese and an oil spill, devoured both next to the sidewalk. I learned there, fingers patinaed with grease, how to stitch all that hurt to my ribs, telling myself that it would be survivable that way.’

Ark Ramsay (Bridgetown, 1994) is a non-binary writer currently based in Barbados. Their work has appeared in or is forthcoming from The A-Line: Journal of Progressive Thought, Small Axe, Gertrude Press, Meridian, The Rumpus, Passages North , and The Gulf Coast . Their writing has also been a finalist for the Inaugural Story Foundation Prize through Story Magazine and an honourable mention in Ninth Letter’s 2021 Literary Award for Nonfiction. They received an MFA from The Ohio State University in 2022.

‘Terre Brulée’ is a post-colonial story that chronicles the fraught and disastrous relationship between Pinky Khan and her son, Shiva.

‘I find the Deed paper for this property: 33 Terre Brulée Road. From Mr. Edward Stone to me, Pinkie Khan. This coulda be Shiva own. I never tell he wotless father ’bout this, and I never tell he neither. I did hold back because I didn’t want no man—not even my son—to love me for land.’

Celeste Mohammed is a Trinidadian lawyer-turned-writer. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Lesley University, Cambridge, Massachusetts. Her short stories have won numerous awards. As a ‘dougla’ or ‘half-Indian’, Celeste hails from a line of humble but resilient Indo-Trinidadian women, who faced a post-plantation culture marked by intimate-partner violence. Her new and yet unpublished novel grapples with this complicacted history.

Photo: Damian Luk Pat Photography

Set in rural Tamil Nadu in the nineties, Thambi, Thambi explores friendship and grief through an unlikely relationship between a sensitive young boy and a woman with a mental illness.

‘When I stepped out of home, preparing for a new school in the city, Kamala lingered in my mind like a vivid snapshot of memories. Amidst the flurry of farewells, her presence felt like an unspoken burden of the past. Yet, as life evolved in our village, Kamala’s absence left a silent void, echoing the untold tales of her mysterious existence.’

Bharath Kumar is a writer and translator from Tamil Nadu, India. He has a bachelor’s degree in engineering and a Master’s degree in Philosophy. He was one of the editors of the Oxford University Press’s English-Tamil bilingual dictionary project. His works have appeared in the Usawa Literary Review, Out of Print Magazine ‘s blog, and the book I, Salma . He is a South Asia Speaks Fellow who is currently working on his debut collection of short stories.

Photo: Deepti Sreeram

The first mother is too clean; the second, too pretty. In her small Mumbai apartment with too-thin walls and a too-small balcony, Avni watches laundry turn round in her machine, dreams of white limousines, and tries out different mothers from the shelter. One of them has to be just right.

”I am sorry to upset you,’ Nazneen says, switching off the tap and wringing the shirt with all the ferocity of a TurboDry until the excess water has sweated out. ‘But I don’t think you will find what you are looking for in a new mother.”

Sanjana Thakur has a degree in English and Anthropology from Wellesley College, and is currently pursuing an MFA in Fiction at UT Austin’s New Writers Project. Her short story Backstroke was published in The Southampton Review . She is from Mumbai, India.

In ‘Mother May I’, a woman who makes a living pretending to be other people has to contend with an assignment in which the lines between reality and fiction threaten to become indistinguishable.

‘I peel the sweater away from my armpits and then run a finger around its collar to separate it from my neck. My skin is clammy, there is sweat pooling behind my ears, and it feels as if there’s sweat clogging up my nose as well, making it difficult for me to breathe.’

Ajay Patri is a writer and lawyer from Bangalore, India. His short fiction has been published in the Bristol Short Story Prize anthology in the past. He is also the recipient of a fellowship from South Asia Speaks, a mentorship programme for early career writers.

A white Zimbabwean professor, attracted to his young student, begins an affair that threatens to derail both of their lives.

‘Two weeks, three days: that is how long he is put on bed rest. Time itself begins to impress on Harry with new meaning. The days draw listless light across the shape of his bed. At sundown, he awaits Helen’s return from campus, her briefcase stocked with thoughtful cards from their students and well-meaning colleagues, her arms laden with the books for him that have arrived that day in the mail.’

Sarah Balakrishnan is a Canadian writer from Cambridge, Ontario. She is a graduate of McGill University and Harvard University. She teaches classes on history at Duke University. Sarah was the 2022 Narrative Prize winner, the 2021 winner of Narrative Magazine’s 30 Under contest, and a 2021 finalist for the Cecilia Joyce Johnson Award for Short Fiction. She is represented by Ellen Levine and Audrey Crooks at Trident Media Group Literary Agency .

Photo: Adam Ewing

What Burns aims to be a narrative exploration—through flames, red bones and ashes—of the living forces that are consumed within and around us in this fiery 21st century.

‘Since, according to experts’ calculations, the fire is advancing at around 500 metres a day. In less than 48 hours and unless weather conditions change, the town of K., located on the edge of the forest, will be engulfed in flames too’

Julie Bouchard, a Montreal native and current resident, has released two collections of short stories and a novel over the last decade with La Pleine Lune , a Quebec-based publishing house. She was awarded the Radio-Canada Short Story Prize in both 2020 and 2021. She currently works in academic publishing.

A plague of bodies descends upon a village. Will the community survive such a reckoning?

‘The grandmothers brush the dirt out of the dead women’s hair, wipe clean their faces, bathe and dress them in patchwork hanboks beaten and starched white. Some nights Ae-Cha slips silently into the icehouse alone. She sits for hours in the dark, fights off sleep and the cold ache in her hips as she tries to catch the women out.’

F.E. Choe is a Canadian and Korean-American writer whose work has been published in Clarkesworld Magazine, The Moth Magazine , and Fractured Lit . She is a 2023 graduate of the Clarion West Writers Workshop, Viable Paradise alum, and an Editor at 100 Word Story. Born in Toronto, Canada, she currently lives in the United States.

Photo: Covington Hanley

Milk is fundamentally a story about love and hope in a milieu of deep poverty.

‘I trudged home from school through dirty snow and mud. The temps seesawed high and low, slicking the paths. I ripped off and handed Mama the paper stapled to the door, which I had failed to read.

She marched to the kitchen in her hot pink robe and burned the paper inside a cooking pot inside the sink—crashes, bangs and curses–until it was nothing but black ash, and then she turned the tap right into it.’

Eaton Hamilton is the autistic, disabled, queer and non-binary (they/them) author of books of cnf, memoir, fiction and poetry, including the 2016 novel WEEKEND . Their memoir NO MORE HURT was one of the Guardian’s Best Books of the Year and a Sunday Times bestseller. They are the two-time winner of Canada’s CBC Literary Award for fiction (2003/2014).

A single mother named Sookie Woodrow believes God is using her to prophecy, but her desperation to transcend the hand she’s been dealt descends into madness.

‘Early morning sun revealed the dripping tap, the crooked shelves, a light bulb dangling from a wire. ‘So? What was Sookie talking to you about the other night?’ My mother strained to keep her voice light, tinkling her fingernails on the side of her mug. Smile tight as a rubber band.’

Ceilidh Michelle is the author of Butterflies, Zebras, Moonbeams , published by Palimpsest Press and shortlisted for the Hugh MacLennan Award for Fiction. Her second book, Vagabond: Venice Beach, Slab City and Points In Between , was published by Douglas & McIntyre in September 2020. Her novella, Living Waters , was shortlisted in the Malahat Review’s Novella Prize, and she’s been listed twice by the CBC as an author to watch. Michelle has contributed to Maclean’s Magazine, Room, Saltwire, Long Reads , and others. She holds an MSc in Creative Writing from the University of Edinburgh.

A song jolts the memory of a retired oil field worker, to a simpler time in Trinidad and Tobago, and forces him to re-live a dark secret he kept buried all these years. The Devil’s Son is set in the 1950s, where the Promethean tool of Electricity comes to the village of Chaguanas to pull them out of the darkness of night, and out of superstition.

‘That night, Mammy was protesting—I coulda hear she from the roadside. She didn’t like that they did set up a Devil’s Screen in the middle of Woodford Lodge Cricket Grounds, that we would all be gazing up at it.’

Portia Subran is a writer and ink artist, from Chaguanas, Trinidad and Tobago. Her stories are inspired by her parents’ tales of colonial, and early post-colonial Trinidad, her experience, and Ole Talk gathered over the years. She is the winner of the 2019 Cecile de Jongh Literary Prize from the Caribbean Writer , and the 2016 Small Axe Literary Short Story Competition. She was a finalist for the 2022 BCLF Short Fiction Story Contest.

Photo: @ravindraramkallawanphotography

Fadi is a story about grief, disability, homelessness—and love, despite all the above. It follows Baba and his autistic daughter, Fadi, as they seek a safe home.

‘Fadi is growing tall and fat by day. He relishes eating the food, too, though he hates being pitied, fed, and treated as a beggar. He no longer feels disgusted eating with the left hand. He no longer retches eating with it as he’d done the earlier days after the right hand was cut off when he fell off the wall of the tall building he was painting.’

Azags Agandaa is a Ghanaian writer whose collection of short stories, The Slummer’s Curse (2019) won the Ama Ata Aidoo Award 2nd Prize of the Ghana Association of Writers (GAW) Literary Awards. Aguriboma (2022), his poetry collection, also won the Kofi Awoonor’s Prize of the same Literary Awards. He teaches English and Literature at The Victoria Grammar School, Accra, and is currently completing his MPhil in Literature at the University of Cape Coast, Ghana.

The arrival of a new scout in town dashes five boys’ dreams of playing football in England’s top-flight clubs.

‘Me and my teammates are behind, huddling around Celestine’s father. Even though Rising Stars didn’t fulfill their promise, new football academies will come to town again. We won’t lose our legs or arms to stampedes or gunshots. In protests, things happen too fast.’

Olajide is an MFA candidate in creative writing at the University of South Florida. Recently he was the fiction editor at Saw Palm , and has published works in Guernica, Off Assignment, Barren magazine and elsewhere. He’s currently working on his debut novel.

Photo: Chioma Owhor

A chance encounter between long-lost acquaintances becomes the first step towards healing.

‘Another man behind the woman, standing. He looks as afflicted as you feel, overheated and fretful. Behind him, Solomzi. A mask and a hat, what do they call those hats? He was always a hat man. Between mask and hat, not much to see, except lines where he once was smooth.’

Jayne Bauling is a South African writer best known for her youth novels which have won several awards. She also writes short stories and poetry, and has contributed to the FunDza Literacy Trust . Her tenth novel for youth, Things I Learned in the Forest, was published by the NB Publishers imprint Best Books in early 2023. She lives in White River, in the province of Mpumalanga.

‘The Goat’ is about a woman whose newborn is stolen from the maternity ward, and her own unusual way of dealing with the loss, which is complicated by her relationship with a billy goat her husband bought as their son’s birth gift.

‘Achan’s hands trembled, releasing the contents inside them to the floor. She, too, suddenly feeling an urge to lay on the ground, slipped to the floor. Her back against a kitchen wall stained with smoke and cooking vapors, she wept. She wept and screamed so that the radio was no longer of any use, and if the doors had banged for the wind she would have missed it.’

Jean Pierre Nikuze is a Rwandan who grew up in Kenya, and is currently residing in Vancouver, Canada, where he is attending graduate school at Regent College. A writer of stories, poems, and essays, Nikuze’s work has appeared in CalibanOnline, The Nonconformist Magazine, Agbowo, Hobart, Africasacountry , and elsewhere.

Photo: Lorna Rande

‘The Marriage Proposal’ features an older woman, Adeline, who has agreed to raise the children of a couple who has moved to the United Kingdom with hopes to save money before they return to their Island home. Adeline’s attachment to the children means she must make sacrifices.

‘Adeline tensed slightly, but settled the baby on her right leg, enclosing her with her right hand. “Ok, Sweet English rose, Le’s take it easy now, eh.”

“She’ll be okay,” the mother said quickly. She pulled from her bag an eight-ounce bottle which had about three ounces of formula left in it.’

Heather Archibald, taught English in New York City and St. Kitts for thirty years. Her poetry collection Home-Home was published in 2016. She was a Callaloo fellow in poetry (2016) and received the BRIO award for fiction in 2018. Her short story, Sea-Stones for Angeline: A Fairy Tale  was published in The Caribbean Writer (UVI) Summer 2020. Heather co-curates Creative Expressions NYC, an open-mic online poetry salon currently meeting first Sundays.

This is a story about a girl who finds herself in a precarious situation. She becomes conscious of an unseen woman whom she feels connected to and protected by, even though she isn’t sure if the woman is a product of her own imagination.

‘Pei sat by the pool, rocking herself so she would stop shivering in her wet bra and shorts. She sat for a long time, watching the bougainvillaea and heliconia blazing among the dark bushes of the estate. As a child, she’d learnt what these tropical flowers were called.’

Audrey Tan is a Singaporean writer, teacher and editor. Her stories have appeared in Quarterly Literary Review Singapore, Singapore Unbound , among others.

Photo: Reginald Kent

This year’s judging panel

Jennifer nansubuga makumbi.

Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi wrote   The First Woman (2020), which in 2021 won the Jhalak Prize , was shortlisted for The Diverse Book Award, the Encore Prize and the James Tait Black Prize , and longlisted for The Aspen Words Literary Prize . Her first novel, Kintu , won the Kwani ? Manuscript Project in 2013, the Prix Transfuge d u m eilleur p remier r oman f rancais in 2019 and, in the same year, she was shortlisted for Edward Stanford Awards and l onglisted for the Prix Médicis . Her collection of short stories, Manchester Happened , was shortlisted for The Big Book prize: Harper’s Bazaar in 2019 and longlisted for the Edge Hill Prize. Jennifer was the recipient of the prestigious Windham-Campbell Prize in 2018. She was also the overall winner of the Commonwealth Short S tory P rize in 2014. She was part of the DAAD Artist-in – Berlin programme in 2022 and currently she is Artist in Residence at STIAS Stellenbosch. She has a PhD from Lancaster University and has taught in several universities in the United Kingdom.

Keletso Mopai

Keletso Mopai is a South African writer and geologist. Her award-nominated and acclaimed debut collection of short stories If You Keep Digging , a social commentary on Post-Apartheid South Africa, was published in 2019 by Blackbird Books. Her work has been published in several journals internationally including Internazionale , The Johannesburg Review of Books, Catapult, Portside Review, Imbiza Journal, Kaleidoscope Magazine, Lolwe , and anthologies such as Joburg Noir . She returned to university in 2022 to pursue an MA in creative writing at The University of Cape Town where she wrote a novel-in-stories about a farm murder set in her hometown, Tzaneen .

O Thiam Chin

O Thiam Chin is a short story writer, screenwriter, and novelist from Singapore. His work has been published in Granta, The Cincinnati Review, M ā noa , The Brooklyn Rail, World Literature Today, The International Literary Quarterly, Asia Literary Review, Kyoto Journal, The Jakarta Post and Quarterly Literary Review Singapore . Thrice longlisted for the Frank O’ Connor International Short Story Award, he is the author of six story-collections, including Love, Or Something Like Love , which was shortlisted for the 2014 Singapore Literature Prize. His debut novel, Now That It’s Over , won the inaugural Epigram Books Fiction Prize in 2015 and the Best Fiction title at the 2017 Singapore Book Awards. His second novel, Fox Fire Girl , is currently being adapted into a feature film. He was an honorary fellow of the Iowa International Writing Program in 2010, and a recipient of the Singapore National Arts Council’s Young Artist Award in 2012.

Shashi Bhat

Shashi Bhat is the author of the forthcoming story collection Death by a Thousand Cuts (McClelland & Stewart/Penguin Random House Canada), and the novels The Most Precious Substance on Earth (McClelland &Stewart/Grand Central), a finalist for the 2022 Governor General’s Award for fiction, and The Family Took Shape (Cormorant), a finalist for the Thomas Raddall Atlantic Fiction Award. Her fiction has won the Writers’ Trust/McClelland & Stewart Journey Prize and been shortlisted for a National Magazine Award and the RBC Bronwen Wallace Award, and has appeared in publications across North America, including The Threepenny Review, The Missouri Review, The Fiddlehead, The Malahat Review, Best Canadian Stories , and The Journey Prize Stories . Shashi holds an MFA from Johns Hopkins University and a BA from Cornell University. She lives in New Westminster, BC, where she is the editor-in-chief of EVENT magazine and teaches creative writing at Douglas College.

Richard Georges

Richard Georges is a writer of essays, fiction, and three collections of poetry. His most recent book, Epiphaneia (2019), won the 2020 OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Literature, and his first book, Make Us All Islands (2017), was shortlisted for the Forward Prize for Best First Collection. Richard is a founding editor of Moko magazine, a Fellow of the Stellenbosch Institute of Advanced Study, and the first Poet Laureate of the British Virgin Islands. He works in higher education and lives on Tortola with his wife and children.

Melissa Lucashenko

Melissa Lucashenko is a multi-award winning Bundjalung novelist from Brisbane. She is a Walkley Award winner for her non-fiction writing and a founding member of human rights group Sisters Inside.

Frequently asked questions

Who is eligible to submit.

The prize is open to all Commonwealth citizens aged 18 and over –  please see the full list of Commonwealth countries here .

What do the winning writers receive?

The regional winners receive £2,500 and the overall winner receives a total of £5,000. The winning stories are published online by Granta and in a special print collection by Paper + Ink . The shortlisted stories are published in adda , the online literary magazine of the Commonwealth Foundation.

What is the word limit?

The story must be between 2,000 and 5,000 words.

Is there any required theme or genre?

The prize is only open to short fiction, but it can be in any fiction genre–science fiction, speculative fiction, historical fiction, crime, romance, literary fiction–and you may write about any subject you wish.

In what languages do you accept entries?

Submissions are accepted in Bengali, Chinese, Creole, English, French, Greek, Malay, Maltese, Portuguese, Samoan, Swahili, Tamil, and Turkish. Stories that have been translated into English from any language are also accepted and the translator of any winning story receives additional prize money.

Can the story be published?

Your submission must be unpublished in any print or online publication, with the exception of personal websites.

How is the prize judged?

Entries are initially assessed by a team of readers and a longlist of 200 entries is put before the international judging panel, comprising a chair and five judges, one from each of the Commonwealth regions – Africa, Asia, Canada and Europe, the Caribbean, and the Pacific. All judges read entries from all regions.

Entries in other languages are assessed by relevant language readers and the best submissions are selected for translation into English to be considered for inclusion on the longlist.

The judging panel select a shortlist of around twenty stories, from which five regional winners are chosen, one of which is chosen as the overall winner.

Resources & News

• 2024 Commonwealth Short Story Prize Entry Rules
• Perfecting your story: tips for crafting your prize submission
• A short story by Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi
• Sharma Taylor in Conversation with Alexia Tolas
• Ntsika Kota in Conversation with Damon Galgut
• The Art and Craft of the Short Story
• 'The Fishing Line' by Kevin Jared Hosein
• Kritika Pandey in conversation with Nii Ayikwei Parkes
• The Origins of the Commonwealth Short Story Prize
• Commonwealth Writers’ Conversations- Cyprus at 60

Get the latest about the Short Story Prize

Stay up to date on all the latest updates from the Short Story Prize, including deadlines, submission info and winners.

Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition 2024 (Prize + Certificate)

If you have good essay-writing skills and want to participate in an international competition. Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition is for you to show your skills and is currently open. In this article, we will explain in detail about this competition, its prize and step by step application process.

The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition 2024 is the world’s oldest international writing competition for schools, established in 1883. With thousands of young people taking part each year, it is an important way to recognize achievement, elevate youth voices and develop key skills through creative writing.

To mark the 50th Anniversary of the Commonwealth Youth Programme, Commonwealth Heads of Government declared 2023 a year dedicated to youth-led action for sustainable and inclusive development and called on renewal and strengthening of our commitment to youth engagement and empowerment.

Of the Commonwealth’s population of almost 2.5 billion people, 60% are under the age of 30. This young demographic represents a dynamic ‘youth force for change’, made up of exceptional young people who are increasingly involved in advocacy, decision-making and action.

The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition 2023 asks entrants to explore the power young people hold within the global community and consider how this power can be harnessed to make a meaningful impact in the world.

The Society has a rich history of nurturing the creative talents of young people around the Commonwealth and we endeavour to promote literacy, expression and creativity by celebrating excellence and imagination. The Competition invites all young Commonwealth citizens and residents, regardless of region, education or background, to share ideas, celebrate their story and have their voice heard. Through partnerships with Book Aid International, Worldreader and the National Literacy Trust, the Society is working to increase access to this opportunity for a wider range of young people.

Scholarship Summary

• Level of Study: Competition
• Institution(s): The Royal Commonwealth Society (RCS)
• Study in: UK
• Deadline: May 15, 2024

Essay Topics

The theme for the next Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), which will take place in Samoa in October 2024, is ‘One Resilient Common Future: Transforming our Common Wealth’.    

Nearly half of Commonwealth countries are Small Island Developing States like Samoa that are disproportionately affected by climate change. Communities across the Commonwealth are also facing a range of challenges, including economic growth, peace and security. Creating strong and resilient societies is now more important than ever.   

The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition 2024 asks entrants to consider how they deal with adversity, and how community and culture can be used to encourage resilience and hope in a world with a growing number of global issues.  

SENIOR CATEGORY

(Born between 16 May 2005 and 15 May 2010 (14-18 years of age)) 

• “It’s worth remembering that it is often the small steps, not the giant leaps, that bring about the most lasting change.”– Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. What small steps can you take to help tackle the climate crisis?   
• Write a speech highlighting what you think is the most challenging issue facing the world today, and how Commonwealth values can be used to solve it.      
• At the heart of Samoan way of life is ‘aiga’, meaning ‘family’ values including selflessness, hospitality, co-operation, respect and dignity. What core values and ideas from your culture can be used to enhance co-operation and community in the Commonwealth?  
• The Commonwealth’s London Declaration aimed to strive for peace, liberty and progress. Write a letter to your President or Prime Minister about how to achieve those aims. 

JUNIOR CATEGORY

(Born on or after 16 May 2010 (under 14 years of age))

• What new habit could you adopt to positively contribute towards a greener Commonwealth?   
• Write a dialogue between yourself and a grandparent about resilience and hope. What can you share with the older generation, and what can you learn from them?  
• You are taking part in a beach clean-up and discover that you can speak to sea creatures. What are they saying, and how do you respond?
• You’re on a school exchange in a Commonwealth country different to your own. How do you make friends with people your age? (Consider similarities and differences in culture that may unite you).

Scholarship Coverage/Prize

Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition provides the recipient with the following benefits:

– All entrants receive a Certificate of Participation and one Winner and Runner-up from the Senior and Junior categories will win a trip to London for a week of educational and cultural events.

– Prizes have traditionally been awarded only to the first prize winners in the Senior and Junior categories and also vary year by year. This means they are not able to confirm what the prizes will be until after the winners are announced in August 2024. Past prizes have included:

• Resources for winner’s school
• Certificates
• Visits to Cambridge University
• A trip to London and a week of activities
• Having your entry featured in worldwide media
• Work experience at international organisations, and
• RCS regional and branch offices often hold ceremonies or offer prizes. Please contact your nearest RCS branch after the competition closes on June 30, 2024, to inquire about any activities planned.

Eligibility Criteria for Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition

To participate in the Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition, following is the criteria:

• Required Language:  All entries must be written in English.
• Eligible Countries: Nationals and residents of all Commonwealth countries and territories aged 18 and under are eligible to enter the competition, including entrants from Zimbabwe.
• Entries are accepted from residents of non-Commonwealth countries who submit through their local RCS branch.
• Entrants can be presented in any form/method of creative writing. Pictures/Illustrations are particularly encouraged in the Junior Category.

How to Apply for Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition?

Please follow the following important application instructions to participate in Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition:

Online Submission:

• The Royal Commonwealth Society is building a new online platform that will be much easier to use and accessible on all devices, but it’s not quite ready yet.
• They are encouraging young people to begin writing their pieces and will open the new platform for submissions in early 2024.
• Please note: They do not accept essays sent by email.

Offline Submissio n  ( P ost):  (Check the  How to Enter  section in the official website for more details)

• Offline submissions are very difficult to process and can mean that your entry arrives after the Competition closing date. They will only accept an offline entry where the person submitting has no access to internet and is unable to submit online.
• If you are submitting your entry by post, please complete an entry form (Can be found in the official website) in block capitals and attach it to the front of your essay. Entries should be sent to your nearest postal hub, details of which are listed below.
• Please note that for postal entries, your essay must be received by June 30, 2023 in order to be eligible. They, therefore, suggest that you send your essay with plenty of time for delivery, as essays received by a postal hub after June 30 will not be considered in the competition.
• Check the official website for posting address.

To know more about Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition, please visit the official website:

Official Website

Related Scholarships: 

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Commonwealth Essay Competition 2014

Run by the Royal Commonwealth Society since 1883, the Commonwealth Essay Competition is the world’s oldest and largest schools’ international writing competition.

For 130 years, the Commonwealth Essay Competition has inspired thousands of young writers from all over the world. Run by the Royal Commonwealth Society , this international schools’ writing contest – the world's oldest and largest – is a highly regarded and popular international education project.

Open to all Commonwealth citizens aged 18 and under, the Essay Competition offers young people the opportunity to make their voice heard on a global platform and engage with issues important to them. Every year, judges are impressed with the extremely high standard of entry as participants compete with their peers from every corner of the Commonwealth. For many bright and ambitious students, this is the ultimate competition!

Now run in partnership with Cambridge University Press, the competition remains an important means of expression for young people across the Commonwealth. 

The competition closes for entries on 1 May. 

More information, including topics, rules and prizes

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Commonwealth Law Student Essay Competition

The competition is open to all students registered on an undergraduate law degree course within a Higher Education Institution in a Commonwealth Nation (see the full competition rules). The competition is now open.

Cash prizes are awarded to the winners of first, second and third places.

The winners may also get an opportunity to be published in the Newsletter of the Commonwealth Legal Education and the Journal of Commonwealth Law and Legal Education.

Essay Competition Rules

All submissions must adhere to the rules which are published with each competition. Details will accompany each competition which can be found in the links posted on the website as and when the competition dates are released.

Processing and Evaluation

On receipt of the entries, The Coordinator will record and acknowledge their receipt. The Coordinator will then send the entries for checking for plagiarism and they will be marked in accordance with the published rules.

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Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition 2024

The Royal Commonwealth Society has announced the Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition 2024, providing an opportunity for young students worldwide to showcase their writing skills. As one of the oldest international writing contests, this program has been designed to encourage young students to participate in writing competitions and help them develop their creativity, writing skills, and confidence to express themselves through the power of words. By participating in such competitions, students can expand their horizons, gain global exposure, and enhance their overall development. The initiative aims to inspire students to think critically, be innovative, and become future leaders. With this competition, students will be able to showcase their talents and compete with peers from various countries while contributing to a positive impact on society.

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The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition 2024 (QCEC) is not just a platform for talented writers but also an initiative to introduce young individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds, under-represented demographics, and remote communities to the joys of writing. By promoting literacy and writing skills, the QCEC contributes to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 4 of Quality Education across 60 countries and territories. The Society aims to expand its reach and impact by leveraging its digital literacy initiative to encourage more young people to develop their writing skills and boost academic attainment. With this competition, the QCEC aims to help students realize their potential, cultivate their creativity, and enhance their overall development. This program not only offers students a chance to showcase their writing skills but also helps them in their personal and academic growth, equipping them with the tools necessary to thrive in today’s world.

The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition invites young people from all over the Commonwealth to express their thoughts and ideas on themes that embody the Commonwealth’s values and principles. By participating in the competition, young writers develop crucial literacy skills while also fostering empathy and an open-minded worldview. Recent themes have centered around crucial issues like the environment, inclusion, youth leadership, and gender equality. Through their essays, young writers have demonstrated innovative ideas for positive change and challenged readers to consider new perspectives. By exploring these themes, young writers learn to think critically and creatively, becoming voices of change in their communities and beyond. The QCEC offers a unique opportunity for young people to express their voices and contribute to building a better world for all. You can also apply for Rotary Peace Fellowship Program 2025 (Fully Funded)

Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition 2024 Details:

• QCEC Host Country: UK
• Offered by: Royal Commonwealth Society
• Financial coverage: Fully Funded
• Deadline: 15 May 2024.

Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition Awards:

• Winners of the Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition receive a range of prizes and opportunities.
• This includes a fully-funded one-week trip to London to participate in educational and cultural events.
• The trip provides a unique opportunity to experience the diverse culture of the UK and engage with other young writers from across the Commonwealth.
• In addition to the trip, winners receive Gold, Silver, or Bronze medals in their respective age categories, recognizing their outstanding work and talent.
• Every participant also receives a Certificate of Participation, acknowledging their contribution and commitment to developing their writing skills.
• These prizes not only recognize the excellence of young writers but also inspire them to continue honing their skills and pursue their passions with confidence and dedication.

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Eligibility Criteria of the Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competiton 2024:

• Applicants must be citizens or residents of Commonwealth countries.
• For the Senior Category, participants must be born between 16 May 2005 and 15 May 2010 (14-18 years of age).
• For the Junior Category, participants must be born on or after 16 May 2010 (under 14 years of age).
• Citizens or residents of Ireland, Zimbabwe, and Hong Kong are also eligible to apply.
• The Royal Commonwealth Society branches of non-Commonwealth countries will handle the submissions of their competitors.

It’s important for applicants to carefully review the eligibility criteria to ensure that they meet all the requirements before submitting their entries.

Requirements of the QCEC 2024:

• Participants must choose a topic from the list of provided topics or create their own essay topic that is related to the theme of the competition.
• Entries must be written in English and must not exceed 1,500 words for the Senior Category and 750 words for the Junior Category.
• Entries must be submitted in Microsoft Word or PDF format through the official competition website.
• Participants must ensure that their entries are original, previously unpublished, and written entirely by them.
• Entries must be free of plagiarism, and participants must cite any sources used in their essays.
• Entries must follow the specified format and guidelines, including font size, line spacing, and margins.
• Participants must provide accurate and complete information, including their name, age, and country of residence.
• Entries must be submitted before the specified deadline.

QCEC 2024 Topics:

SENIOR CATEGORY: ​

• As Head of the Commonwealth, His Majesty The King is opening an international conference on the importance of young people in decision-making. Write his speech. 
• Does age matter? 
• The 2024 Year of Youth was a moment of significant social change – what was its impact on the world? 
• Script a dialogue between two people, with contrasting viewpoints, on an issue that divides generations. 

JUNIOR CATEGORY:

• In fiction and throughout history, young people have performed numerous acts of heroism. Choose your favorite young hero and write to them about why you admire them.
• What is your youthful superpower, and how can it make a positive difference in the world?
• You have been stranded on a planet where everyone is 18 or under. Journal your experience.
• Why does your voice matter?

The application deadline to apply for the Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition 2024 is 15 May 2024.

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How to Apply for Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition?

Applicants must complete the Online Application form in order to be considered for the Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition. Make sure that your essay adheres to the competition’s rules and guidelines before submitting it.

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