commonwealth essay competition 2023 results list

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Winners Of The Queen's Commonwealth Essay Competition 2023 Announced!

2023 has been a fantastic year for The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition (QCEC).

Celebrating the Commonwealth Year of Youth, the theme, 'A Youth-Powered Commonwealth,’ asked QCEC entrants to explore the power young people hold within the global community and to consider how this power can be harnessed to make a meaningful impact in the world.

In the 140th year of this competition, the world’s oldest international writing competition for schools, we were delighted to receive a record-breaking 34,924 entries , an increase of almost 9,000 entries on the previous year, and from 50 Commonwealth countries, the most in the history of the competition!

This year’s top participating countries included Bangladesh, Ghana, India, Malaysia, the Maldives, Nigeria, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka and the United Kingdom.

In this special year, we are delighted to announce the winners of The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition:

• Senior Winner: Miss Siddhi Deshmukh aged 17 from Mumbai, India for her piece titled, ‘An Angel that Burns’.
• Junior Winner: Miss Shreeya Sahi aged 12 from Panchkula, India for her entry titled, ‘Dear Little Prince’.
• Senior Runner-up: Miss Yong Sin Kong aged 15 from Kluang, Malaysia for her entry titled, ‘Observations made at a Local Kopitam, 13th of March, 2023’.
• Junior Runner-up: Miss Mitali Ragtah aged 11 from New Delhi, India for her piece titled, ‘Water Girl of India’.

We look forward to meeting these talented young writers in London next month for Winners Week and to celebrating their writing during a special Award Ceremony at Buckingham Palace hosted by Her Majesty Queen Camilla!

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TODAY’S WEATHER

Commonwealth essay winners receive awards - 256/2023

April 24, 2023

The Deputy Chief Minister Dr Joseph Garcia, who is the Minister with responsibility for relations with the Commonwealth, presented the prizes to the students who won the 2023 Commonwealth essay competition.

There was a winning entry in each of the four categories. The cash prize and certificates were presented to Luca Trinidad, who won the Lower Primary category, Gianella Pitto the Upper Primary and Haylee Pincho in the secondary school category. The winner of University students category Gabriella Chipol was away from Gibraltar and will receive the award separately.

The winners were chosen by a panel which included the Royal Commonwealth Society and the Commonwealth Youth Association.

The Deputy Chief Minister met with the winning students in order to congratulate them and thank them for taking an interest in the Commonwealth. “The policy of the Government remains to promote both Gibraltar in the Commonwealth and the Commonwealth in Gibraltar. I am very grateful to all the young people who took part and was very impressed by the high standard of the winning entries,” he said.

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Essay wins teen ticket to the UK

Saturday, 11 Nov 2023

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Johor girl to meet Queen Camilla at Buckingham Palace

Malaysian teen wins silver award in queen’s commonwealth essay writing competition, sweet success for young scribes.

PETALING JAYA: Growing up, Kong Yong Sin was a little storyteller enchanted by the tales she read in books and the movies that she watched.

Even to this day, the 15-year-old girl has not lost her passion for the written word, drawing inspiration from the likes of author Neil Gaiman to playwright Lin Manuel-Miranda.

In fact, she was named the runner-up in the senior category of the Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition (QCEC) 2023, the world’s oldest international writing competition for schools.

Her triumph meant that she would soon be attending a “Winners’ Week” in the United Kingdom, which will include a special award ceremony hosted by Queen Camilla at Buckingham Palace.

It’s no small feat as the competition received a record-breaking 34,924 entries this year.

While a number of awards was given for both the senior (ages 14 to 18) and junior (under 14) categories of the competition, only a winner and a runner-up were named for each category.

The winners in both categories, as well as the junior runner-up, are three students from India.

In her entry, Yong Sin – who is from SMK Tinggi Kluang, Johor – tackled the question “Does age matter?” with a short story titled Observations Made at a Local Kopitiam, 13th of March, 2023.

“I chose the question as its open-endedness presented a variety of angles from which to handle it.

“The setting was inspired by the kopitiam my hometown is famous for, and the structure and flow came from the influence of Wes Anderson’s The French Dispatch,” she said in an interview.

ALSO READ: Johor girl to meet Queen Camilla at Buckingham Palace

She also spoke of her admiration for Oscar-winning actress Tan Sri Michelle Yeoh and that she was taken by her speech at the Academy Awards, “so I knew I had to incorporate it into my essay somehow.”

(Yeoh, in her speech for Best Actress, said: “Ladies, don’t ever let anyone tell you you are past your prime.”)

As a first-time entrant, Yong Sin said she did not expect to win an award, let alone one of the top prizes.

She expressed her gratitude to her English language teacher Ahmad Safwan Sulaiman, who introduced her to the competition and encouraged her to give it her best shot.

“Honestly, I’ve never been one to enter competitions such as this, so this is all pretty new to me. Sir Safwan, this is for you,” she said.

Yong Sin, who will undergo an exchange semester in the United States under a scholarship next year, also thanked her grandmother for instilling an interest in the English language in her.

“Still, it is a never-ending journey. I continue to consume a variety of English media to further my proficiency in it.

“To students looking to enhance their English language, do seize every chance to converse in it, whether it’s with native speakers or fellow learners.

“Don’t fear mistakes, as the more you practise, the more comfortable you will become,” said Yong Sin, who is also a participant of The Star’s BRATs Young Journalist Programme.

The QCEC, hosted by the UK-based Royal Commonwealth Society, is open to all Commonwealth citizens aged 18 and below.

Each year, it welcomes participants to write on a theme that stems from the Commonwealth’s values and principles, while at the same time working towards developing key literacy skills and fostering an empathetic and open-minded world view.

This year’s theme was “A Youth-Led Commonwealth,” challenging participants to explore the power young people hold within the global community and to consider how this power can be harnessed to make a meaningful impact in the world.

Applications for the 2024 edition of The Star’s BRATs Young Journalist Programme are now open. For details, go to facebook.com/niebrats

Related stories:

Tags / Keywords: Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition , United Kingdom , Buckingham Palace , Queen Camilla , BRATs

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Launch: The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition 2023

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 a 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 Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition 2023 is now open for entries until 30 June 2023. Please use the widget below or this link to submit your entries.

For more information visit: https://www.royalcwsociety.org/qcec2023

SENIOR CATEGORY ((born between 1 July 2004 and 30 June 2009) 14-18 years of age)

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 2023 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.

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In fiction and throughout history, young people have performed numerous acts of heroism. Choose your favourite young hero and write to them about why you admire them.

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The Roman Ridge School Tops The Queens Commonwealth Essay Competition 2023 across Africa

The Roman Ridge School has once again demonstrated exceptional prowess in the 2023 Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition, surpassing its previous record-breaking achievements.

The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition (est. 1883) is the world’s oldest and most prestigious international school essay competition. A record-breaking 34,924 pupils from every Commonwealth region participated in the competition and TRRS submitted an unprecedented 637 entries, securing an impressive 269 medals which included 3 Gold Medal Finalists (shortlisted for the overall global prize), 146 Bronze medals, 98 Silver medals, and 22 Gold medals.

The Royal Commonwealth Society (RCS) has confirmed that in the 2023 competition:

• The Roman Ridge School had the HIGHEST NUMBER OF ENTRIES & MEDALS of any school in Ghana  
• The Roman Ridge School had the HIGHEST NUMBER OF ENTRIES & MEDALS of any school in Africa
• The Roman Ridge School has successfully placed in the TOP 5 OF ALL SCHOOLS IN THE COMMONWEALTH WORLDWIDE

On Thursday 15 February 2024, The Roman Ridge School held a Special Awards Ceremony, graced by esteemed dignitaries to celebrate the participants and medal winners of the QCEC 2023 competition, including  His Excellency Mr. Keith McMahon (Deputy British High Commissioner to Ghana), – Mr. John Apea (Head of Mission – Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council, CWEIC), Benjamin Gomado-Cobblah (CWEIC, Country Director) and ⁠Danielli Ofori Atta (CWEIC, Business Director), Mrs. ⁠Jacqueline Dufie Mpare, Head of Agency Banking for Ecobank Group , CWEIC Strategic Partner), Mr. Nii Odotei (Partner at Africa Legal Associates, CWEIC Strategic Partner), Mr. Harry Sintim-Aboagye (Chairman of the Board of Trustees for the Duke of Edinburgh/Head of State Award), Dr. Frank Adu Jnr  (Chairman of the TRRS Board of Directors), Rev Dr Joyce Aryee (Chair of the TRRS Academic Board of Governors), Mr Gordon Gopaldas (TRRS Executive Director)

We are exceptionally proud of our pupil’s excellent results over the years, consistently earning the most medals of any school across Ghana and the entire continent of Africa in 2023 and placing us firmly in the Top 5 Schools globally!

Click here to read more about our exceptional performance in the Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition 2023 on myjoyonline

Click here to read more about our exceptional performance in the Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition 2023 on bftonline

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Two Singaporeans receive The Queen's Commonwealth Essay Competition awards in Buckingham Palace

LONDON - Gauri Kumar, 14, lived in London for three years until she moved home to Singapore last year.

While she was here, she had only seen Buckingham Palace from the outside. On Wednesday (Oct 26), she and fellow Singaporean Tan Wan Gee, 14, were escorted into the palace, put through a rehearsal and taught how to curtsy.

It was to get them ready to meet Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall.

The Duchess was presenting certificates to the two teenagers: Gauri came in tops in the junior category of The Queen's Commonwealth Essay Competition, while Wan Gee was the runner-up. The senior category was won by Inessa Rajah from South Africa and the runner-up was Esther Mungalaba from Zambia.

They beat 13,500 others from nearly all the Commonwealth countries, earning themselves a "Winners Week" in London which includes cultural and educational activities such as visits to Cambridge University, Houses of Parliament, The London Evening Standard newspaper, British Library and an award ceremony in Buckingham Palace.

Gauri said she was "extremely nervous" about the royal experience. "I haven't processed it yet. Hopefully, I'll be able to understand in a few days. But I'm still really confused about what's been happening," she said after receiving her award from the Duchess.

Wan Gee described the Duchess as "incredibly nice". She had asked the girls about the inspiration behind their winning essays, which had to reflect on the theme of the competition: An Inclusive Commonwealth.

Founded in 1883, The Queen's Commonwealth Essay Competition is the world's oldest international schools writing competition. This year drew the most number of entries. Singapore alone sent in 4,585 entries - more than any other country.

The last Singaporean winner was Selina Xu from Nanyang Girls High School, who was senior runner-up in 2014.

The entries were judged by a pan-Commonwealth body of judges from more than 30 countries, who have described the entries as "inspirational", "imaginative" and "moving".

For her winning essay "Tales Of An Insider/Outsider", Gauri, who attends Tanglin Trust School, wrote about her experience of feeling disconnected from her relatives and culture because she does not speak Hindi well.

Wan Gee, who is studying in Temasek Junior College, wrote a poem "Are We Really So Different? Dear Santa", in which she advocated the importance of equality.

The two are voracious readers, with Gauri enjoying dystopian novels and authors like J K Rowling and George Orwell, and Wan Gee finding inspiration in Charles Bukowski and Sylvia Plath.

"There's something about their poetry that resonates with me," said Wan Gee, who confessed to hating poetry before she took a module in school last year.

"I bought a book by Charles Bukowski the other day. It's the way he makes something very ordinary feel very relatable. I really like that kind of expression."

Mr Michael Lake, director of the Royal Commonwealth Society, which organises the competition, said the four winners represent the "very best and brightest that the Commonwealth has to offer".

"Their essays and poems explore contemporary themes with maturity, intelligence and depth beyond their years."

About 70 guests were at the ceremony at Buckingham Palace on Wednesday to celebrate the young writers' achievements. They included Mr Chia Wei Wen, Deputy High Commissioner for Singapore, The Very Reverend Dr John Hall, Dean of Westminster Abbey and Ms Helle Thorning-Schmidt, former prime minister of Denmark and now CEO of Save the Children International.

Watching on proudly were Gauri's parents and younger sister, and Wan Gee's mother.

The girls are only too aware that when they go back to Singapore, their friends will ask them if they met the Queen. They had words of encouragement for aspiring young writers who might now be inspired to join the competition.

"There's no harm in entering the competition and if you do well, that's the most amazing thing," said Gauri.

Added Wan Gee: "Never give up on your writing. You never know where it'll take you, for example, here."

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Queen's commonwealth essay competition 2023 opens

The Royal Commonwealth Society yesterday announced that the prestigious Queen's Commonwealth Essay Competition is now open for entries until 30 June 2023. The Queen's Commonwealth Essay Competition is the world's oldest international writing competition.

With thousands of young people taking part every year, it is an important way to recognise achievement, elevate youth voices and develop key skills through creative writing.

This year, The Queen's Commonwealth Essay Competition 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, said a british High Commission statement. This focus coincides with the 50th Anniversary of the Commonwealth Youth Programme, and the Commonwealth Heads of Government declaring 2023 a year dedicated to youth: led action for sustainable and inclusive development, it added.

Essays are submitted in two categories - a 'Senior Category' (those born between 1 July 2004 and 30 June 2009) and a 'Junior Category' (those born on or after 1 July 2009). All successful entries will receive a Certificate of Participation and a number of entrants will receive Gold, Silver and bronze Awards for excellence in writing. The top two winners from each category will be awarded with a trip to london for a week of educational and cultural events, culminating in a special Awards Ceremony at a royal palace.

Pakistani youth have done extremely well in recent years with Zahra Hussain, a student of lahore Grammar School International, coming first in the senior category in 2018 and Zainab Nawaz, a grade 8 student, achieving a bronze Award in the junior category in 2022. Zoë Ware, Acting Deputy Head of Mission at the british High Commission, said: 'The Queen's Commonwealth Essay is a fantastic opportunity for young Pakistanis to engage with the Commonwealth and sharpen their writing skills to become the future leaders of tomorrow. Sixty percent of the Commonwealth's 2.5 billion people 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. I hope to see some winning essays from young Pakistanis in this year's competition.

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Students shine in The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition 2023

More than 70 talented students from the Aga Khan Education Service (AKES), Pakistan showcased their exceptional writing skills in The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition 2023. This prestigious contest, established in 1883 by the Royal Commonweath Society, continues to inspire and elevate young minds from the Commonwealth nations across the globe.

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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

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Queen’s commonwealth essay competition 2023 opens

ISLAMABAD        -     The Royal Commonwealth Society yesterday announced that the prestigious Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition is now open for entries until 30 June 2023. The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition is the world’s oldest international writing competition.

With thousands of young people taking part every year, it is an important way to recognise achievement, elevate youth voices and develop key skills through creative writing.

This year, The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition 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, said a british High Commission statement. This focus coincides with the 50th Anniversary of the Commonwealth Youth Programme, and the Commonwealth Heads of Government declaring 2023 a year dedicated to youth-led action for sustainable and inclusive development, it added.

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Essays are submitted in two categories – a ‘Senior Category’ (those born between 1 July 2004 and 30 June 2009) and a ‘Junior Category’ (those born on or after 1 July 2009). All successful entries will receive a Certificate of Participation and a number of entrants will receive Gold, Silver and bronze Awards for excellence in writing. The top two winners from each category will be awarded with a trip to london for a week of educational and cultural events, culminating in a special Awards Ceremony at a royal palace.

Pakistani youth have done extremely well in recent years with Zahra Hussain, a student of lahore Grammar School International, coming first in the senior category in 2018 and Zainab Nawaz, a grade 8 student, achieving a bronze Award in the junior category in 2022. Zoë Ware, Acting Deputy Head of Mission at the british High Commission, said: “The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay is a fantastic opportunity for young Pakistanis to engage with the Commonwealth and sharpen their writing skills to become the future leaders of tomorrow. Sixty percent of the Commonwealth’s 2.5 billion people are under the age of 30.

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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. I hope to see some winning essays from young Pakistanis in this year’s competition.

SHAFQAT ALI

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WINNERS OF THE QUEEN'S COMMONWEALTH ESSAY COMPETITION 2021

In 2021 we were thrilled to announce that a record-breaking 25,648 children entered The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition 2021 from every Commonwealth region. The 2021 winners and runners-up are:

Senior Winner: Kayla Bosire aged 16 from Nairobi, Kenya

Kayla Bosire is an 11th grade student at Maxwell Adventist Academy in Kenya, and she loves writing, a passion she has pursued for a good portion of her 16 years of life. Her love for words was developed while she was a student at Cavina School a prep school in Nairobi Kenya, where she developed a love for creative writing, Shakespeare and theatre. Kayla’s love for the arts is nurtured at her current high school; where she plays three instruments (piano, violin and flute) and enjoys performing in her schools’ orchestra and as a member of the Wind Ensemble.

She holds positions of leadership and responsibility as a tutors assistant math grader, Class Secretary and as a member of the school magazine team (The Maxwell Mirror). Her dream is to pursue a career that allows her to advance justice and fairness in the world for both humans and animals. She is yet to decide whether she is a cat or dog person. Kayla chose to write about it being 30 years since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic and what the world looks like….through the eyes of the COVID-19 virus.

Senior Runner-Up:

Aditi Nair Aged 15 from New Delhi, India

Aditi S Nair is an 11th grade student of Sanskriti School in New Delhi. She has always had a passion for writing, and ever since she was young, has enjoyed writing stories and poems. 

Apart from writing, her hobbies include reading, dancing and gardening. A few of her favourite authors are Khaled Hosseini, Celeste Ng, Ruskin Bond and Madeline Miller.   

Junior Winner: Ethan Charles Mufuma  Aged 13 from Mukono, Uganda

Ethan is 13 years old and is the third borne in a family of four children. He is proud to say that he is 'still the only boy child in this family'. His father is Mr. Wilson Mufuma and his mother is Mrs. Sarah Beatrice Wamakoto. His ancestral village is Bumayoka found in Bududa District in Eastern Uganda.  

He started his early education (nursery) at three years at Joy Nursery and Primary School, located near Makerere University. In 2014 when he was six years old, he joined Namilyango Junior Boys School for his primary education. He was there for the entire primary education until 2020 when he did his Primary Leaving Exams (P. L. E) and scored aggregate (5). 

Ethan started creative writing at the age of ten through the school writing club. Here all learners compete to publish in the school publications. (a termly newspaper and an annual magazine. Ethan mainly writes poetry where as he feel it's easier to have both the message and art flow better. His teacher tells them to choose what one feels free with (prose or poetry). 

Ethan first participated in The Queen's Commonwealth Essay Writing Competition in 2020. He was greatly inspired by one writing club member (Michael Victor Mugerwa) who had won a Silver Award in 2019. This was the first Award for their school and he really felt proud. 

In 2021, Ethan is the the happiest to add this record (winner) of the Junior category to his biography.

Junior Runner-Up: Raisa Gulati Aged 14 from Amritsar, India

Raisa is an all rounder, performing well both academically and in her co-curricular activities. She is very passionate about sports. From a very young age she has played at the National level for chess and equestrian. In 2019 she was declared Junior State Champion of Lawn Tennis in Rajasthan and she was also awarded with the award for being the most promising Equestrian rider in her school. However, the pandemic brought a halt to all her outdoor activities.

She is also adept in playing tabla and drums. During her free time she likes to sketch and she is also a recipient of the Piccaso award for her sketch besides winning various drawing competitions.

Life for her is full of things to learn and she enjoys navigating the uncharted terrain.