The Commonwealth Short Story Prize is an annual award administered by the Commonwealth Foundation, open to writers from Commonwealth countries. It accepts short stories written in Bengali, Chinese, Creole, English, French, Greek, Malay, Maltese, Portuguese, Samoan, Swahili, Tamil, and Turkish, as well as stories translated into English from any language. The prize is free to enter and has a fixed deadline of November 1, 2026. The award is presented for a single short story, and the translator of any winning story receives additional prize money. The prize does not charge a submission fee. The prize operates within the literary landscape of the Commonwealth, a voluntary association of 56 countries. It is one of the few major international short story awards that explicitly welcomes submissions in multiple languages, reflecting the linguistic diversity of its member states. The inclusion of translated fiction underscores a commitment to cross-cultural literary exchange. Winning and shortlisted stories are often published or broadcast by the Commonwealth Foundation and its partners, providing significant visibility to emerging and established writers alike. The curatorial vision of the prize is to identify and celebrate exceptional short fiction from across the Commonwealth, regardless of the author's career stage. It seeks stories that demonstrate originality, craft, and a distinctive voice. The prize does not prescribe a theme; rather, it invites writers to submit their strongest work, whether realist or experimental, local or global in scope. The absence of a fee and the broad language policy signal an intent to democratize access and to honor the many literary traditions that coexist within the Commonwealth.