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Australians, New Zealander shortlisted for 2021 Commonwealth Short Story Prize

Four Australians and one New Zealander are among the finalists for the 2021 Commonwealth Short Story Prize.

The Australian and New Zealand authors shortlisted are:

  • A N King for ‘The Woman; or Euryale’ (Australia)
  • Samantha Lane Murphy for ‘Rabbit’ (Australia)
  • S J Finn for ‘Downpour’ (Australia)
  • Katerina Gibson for ‘Fertile Soil’ (Australia)
  • Tim Saunders for ‘Carved’ (New Zealand).

Shortlisted in the Pacific category, the local authors are among 25 writers in the running for the prize, which covers the Commonwealth regions of Africa, Asia, Canada and Europe, Pacific and the Caribbean. The 25 shortlisted stories come from 14 countries including, for the first time, Lesotho and Namibia.

Entries to the prize rose 25% on the previous year to a total of 6423 entries from 50 Commonwealth countries, ‘a testimony to [the prize’s] enduring popularity and perhaps also to a deep creativity borne of isolation and uncertainty’, said director-general of the Commonwealth Foundation Anne T Gallagher.

Among this year’s judges is New Zealand writer and 2016 Pacific regional winner Tina Makereti from New Zealand.

The regional winners, to be announced on 12 May, will receive £2500 (A$4460) each. The overall winner, to be announced on 30 June, will receive £5000 (A$8920).

The annual prize is awarded for the best piece of unpublished short fiction between 2000 and 5000 words. Last year’s overall winner was Indian writer Kritika Pandey, while Australian writer Andrea E Macleod was named regional winner for the Pacific.

 

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Category: Awards Local news