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Why is the Commonwealth Short Story Prize so wilfully boring?

Why is the Commonwealth Short Story Prize so wilfully boring?

Sorry, but it’s embarrassing at this point

Tom Barrie's avatar
Tom Barrie
Jun 29, 2025
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The Chimera
The Chimera
Why is the Commonwealth Short Story Prize so wilfully boring?
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If there really was a vibe shift, nobody told the judges of the Commonwealth Short Story Prize. Every year since 2012, the transnational organisation of former colonial states has run a short story competition, receiving thousands of entries, and every year they seem desperate to choose the most mawkish, didactic story they possibly can as its winner. T…

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