About the competition

The Commonwealth Short Story Competition is an annual scheme to promote new creative writing. It was established in 1996. It is funded by the Commonwealth Foundation and the Commonwealth Broadcasting Association, who work together to administer the scheme.

The scheme exists to increase understanding and appreciation of Commonwealth cultures and to promote rising literary talents. Each year 26 winning and highly commended stories from the different regions of the Commonwealth are recorded on to CDs and broadcast on radio stations across the Commonwealth. The winner receives a prize of £2,000 and there are regional prizes of £500.

How to enter

The competition is open to all people who are citizens of a Commonwealth member country.

There is no age limit or requirement to write about a particular theme. Entries may be made by both amateur and professional writers.

The deadline for entries is 11 May 2009.

The following are the rules of the competition.

• All entries must clearly state the author's name, date of birth, full contact details and country of citizenship.

• The stories must not exceed 600 words. Entries over 600 words in length will be disqualified. The word count should be stated on the entry.

• The stories must be original and should not have been previously published anywhere in full or part. Entrants must confirm this in writing as part of the application.

• All entries must be in English.

• A maximum of three stories may be entered per person.

• Entries must be made by email to e.dcosta@commonwealth.int, either as an attachment in a mainstream software format or in the body of the email. All entries must use the subject line 'Commonwealth Short Story Competition'.

• The competition administrators reserve the right to disqualify any competition entry which does not meet the conditions outlined above. No correspondence will be entered into in this regard.

• Entries will not be returned or acknowledged.

• Only winners and highly commended entrants will be notified. The names of the winners will be published in the magazines and websites of the Commonwealth Broadcasting Association and the Commonwealth Foundation.

• Winners will retain the copyright but assign broadcasting rights (including audio on demand and sale on audio media), publication rights and rights to use the stories for press and promotional purposes, including via the internet, for ten years to the programme partners (Commonwealth Broadcasting Association and its members, and the Commonwealth Foundation). These rights are non-exclusive.

thanks for the info