2008-9 Short Story Competition

Julie Curwin of Canada is the winner of the 2008-9 Commonwealth Short Story Competition. Her story ‘World Backwards’ was selected as the best story from the Caribbean and Canada region of the Commonwealth and as the winning story of the competition from more than 1700 entries.

The judges were writer Jaishree Mishra, author of Ancient Promises, Accidents like Love and Marriage and Afterwards, broadcaster Amber Barnfather, and Nigerian-born author and playwright Biyi Bandele.

Winners

Overall Winner and Regional Winner (Canada & the Caribbean)
World Backwards
Julie Curwin (Canada)

Regional Winner (Africa)
Die, Dear Tofa
Taddeo Bwambale Nyondo (Uganda)

Regional Winner (Asia)
The Bombay Run
Salil Chaturvedi (India)

Regional Winner (Europe)
Straight Up
Tania Hershman (UK)

Regional Winner (Pacific)
Jack’s Red Hat
Jennifer Mills (Australia)

Highly Commended

  • Bitter Harvest by Anjali Purohit (India)
  • Purl Two… Knit Three by Adrienne M. Frater (New Zealand)
  • The Tip by David Hughes (UK)
  • The Banana Stains by Hazra C. Medica (Antigua)
  • Our Neighbours by Neluka Silva (Sri Lanka)
  • The Expedition by Charles M. Anderson (Canada)
  • Three Apples by Uche Peter Umez (Nigeria)
  • Alfred and Priscilla by Barry Rosenberg (Australia)
  • Venus by Shahana Chaudhury (India)
  • Similes and Metaphors by Claire Brown (UK)
  • How to Reverse Gravity by Sylvie Haisman (New Zealand)
  • Munni Mausi by Rachna Bisht-Rawat (India)
  • Pulling Seine and Catching Souls by Lisa-Anne Julien (Trinidad and Tobago)
  • Communication by Peter Court (Australia)
  • Corporate Entity 21,288 (and Robert) by Verity Sharp (UK)
  • The Dhaba Owner by Arpan Banerjee (India)
  • Noise! Noise! Noise! by Judy Hanel (St Kitts and Nevis)
  • Bone Meal by Christo Snyman (South Africa)
  • Uncertainty Principle for Dummies by Akinwumi Akinwale (Nigeria)
  • Grete Told Me by Helen Von Randow (New Zealand)
  • Auction by Vikram Kapur (India)