Submission for the Commonwealth Short Story Prize for 2017 was phenomenal. There were over 6,000 entries from 52 commonwealth nations. And from this bulk of submissions, commonwealth
Short Story Prize has come up with 5 regional winners.
Speaking on behalf of other judges, Kamila Shamsie, the Chair of 2017 Commonwealth Short Story Prize said the selection of winning stories was rigorous, and this was due to the high quality of submissions. Despite the rigour in the selection, all of the judges were satisfied with the selected stories.
The selected stories draw clarity from the vast form of stories and expound human concerns in different environment and cultures – these are the true qualities of short stories. The winning stories for the Commonwealth Short Story Prize for 2017 will be published on www.granta.com. The overall winner for the Commonwealth Short Story Prize for 2017 will be announced on 30 June.

The winning story for Pacific Region is Nat Newman’s The Death of Margaret Roe
Nat Newman is from Australia. She is a freelance writer and journalist who loves to explore science, food security and public health. Her full-length manuscript will be published shortly. The Death of Margaret Roe will be published on Granta on 30 May.

The winning story for Asia Region is Anushka Jasraj’s Drawing Lessons
Anushka Jasraj is an Indian writer of fiction. In 2012, she won the Commonwealth Short Story Prize. This is the second time she will be winning for Asia Region. Currently, she is working on her Thesis for her masters’ degree in Women’s and Gender studies. Drawing Lessons will be published on Granta on 6 June.

The winning story for Africa Region is Akwaeke Emezi’s Who is Like God
Akwaeke Emezi is from Aba, Nigeria. She is a writer and video artist. For her video art, she has been awarded the 2017 Global Arts Fund. Her first novel, Freshwater is scheduled to be published in 2018. Who is Like God will be published on Granta on 13 June.

The winning story for Canada and Europe Region is Tracy Fells’s The Naming of Moths
Tracy Fell is from United Kingdom. Having resigned from Clinical Research, she devotes her time to full-time writing. She loves speculative fiction, especially the type that dwells on magical realism. Many of her short stories have been widely published. The Naming of Moths will be published on Granta on 20 June.

The winning story for Caribbean Region is Ingrid Persuad’s The Sweet Sop –
Ingrid Persuad is from Trinidad and Tobago. Having prospered in legal career, she returns to writing and fine art. Her first novel, published in 2014, has received great applause. The Sweep Sop will be published on Granta on 27 June.

It could be your turn to be celebrated. If you love fiction writing, start scribbling today. I will get you posted when submission for the Commonwealth Short Story Prize for 2018 begins.
http://literavault..com.ng/2017/05/commonwealth-short-story-prize-regional.html