Four Nigerian Authors Advance to Commonwealth Short Story Prize Finalists

Four Nigerian writers have earned spots on the shortlist for the prestigious 2026 Commonwealth Short Story Prize, an award that celebrates outstanding unpublished short fiction from across the Commonwealth.

The prize, managed by the Commonwealth Foundation, saw submissions from 7,806 entries representing 54 Commonwealth nations. A panel of judges has selected 25 writers from 14 countries to advance.

Regional winners, one for each of the five Commonwealth regions, are set to be revealed on Wednesday, May 13th. The ultimate winner of the overall prize will be announced later in June.

The Commonwealth Short Story Prize is awarded annually to the best new short story submitted from any of the Commonwealth's 56 member states. The current shortlist comprises 11 male and 14 female writers, with ages ranging from 25 to 68.

Regional awardees will receive £2,500, while the grand prize winner will be granted £5,000. Granta will publish the winning stories online, with Paper + Ink producing a special print collection of the selected works.

Among the Nigerian honorees, all in their early thirties, are Hussani Abdulrahim, 31, from Kano, for his story 'Arewa Girls'; Oluwatoke Adejoye, also 31, currently residing in Vancouver, Canada, for 'New Things'; Dawn Immanuel, a 31-year-old writer and editor from Ibadan, for 'The God under the Bed'; and Ola W. Halim, 30, from Ekpoma, who previously made the shortlist in 2021.

Seven writers in total have been shortlisted from the African continent.

Brief profiles of the shortlisted Nigerian writers:

Hussani Abdulrahim – Recognized for 'Arewa Girls'

Hussani Abdulrahim is a Nigerian writer who was previously shortlisted for the 2024 ALCS Tom-Gallon Trust Award. His accolades include the 2023 Writivism Prize, the 2022 Toyin Falola Prize, and WRR’s 2016 Green Author Prize. He was also longlisted for the Commonwealth Short Story Prize in 2023. His writings have been featured in publications such as Boston Review, Evergreen Review, Ubwali Lit Mag, ZamaShort, and The Flame Tree Writers Workshop Anthology. Abdulrahim resides in Kano, Nigeria.

Dawn Immanuel – Recognized for 'The God under the Bed'

Dawn Immanuel, a Nigerian writer and editor based in Ibadan, crafts fiction and nonfiction stories focusing on bold individuals and those whose voices are unheard. She is also the founder of Patchwork Quilt, a full-service book production company. 'The God under the Bed' marks her first published short story.

Ola W. Halim – Recognized for 'Shock Me I Shock You'

Ola W. Halim was a fellow of the Literary Laddership for Emerging African Authors in 2022. His work has appeared in SmokeLong Quarterly, Fractured Lit, Lolwe, Iskanchi, adda, The Forge, and was included in the Best Small Fictions 2024 anthology. His 2021 short story, 'An Analysis of a Fragile Affair,' was shortlisted for the Commonwealth Short Story Prize. A finalist for the Gerald Kraak Prize in 2022, Halim's stories have earned nominations for the Pushcart and Caine Prizes.

Oluwatoke Adejoye – Recognized for 'New Things'

Oluwatoke Adejoye, a writer born in Nigeria, has had her work published in Harvard’s Transition Magazine, Room Magazine, The New Quarterly, and other journals. Adejoye, a lawyer by profession with a background in film and publishing, holds an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of British Columbia and currently lives and works in Metro Vancouver, Canada.

A complete list of the shortlisted writers can be found on the Commonwealth Foundation website.