FEMRITE alumni wins this year’s Commonwealth Short Story Africa Prize
Julien’s story about the tangled relationship between a domestic worker and her employer was described by the judges as an important commentary on debates about class and how they have evolved.
South African writer, Lisa-Anne Julien, has won the 2026 African region prize of the Commonwealth Short Story Prize. (COURTESY PHOTO)
_____________
Lisa-Anne Julien, a writer from South Africa who studied writing during a residency at FEMRITE (the Uganda Women Writers Association), was on Wednesday declared the winner of the African region part of the 2026 Commonwealth Short Story Prize.
Originally from Trinidad and Tobago but now resident in Johannesburg, Julien, 54, was one of five regional winners announced by the Commonwealth Foundation.
The other winners are: Sharon Aruparayil (India, Asia region), John Edward DeMicoli (Malta, Canada and Europe region), Jamir Nazir (Trinidad and Tobago, Caribbean region), and Holly Ann Miller (New Zealand, Pacific region).
Julien’s story about the tangled relationship between a domestic worker and her employer was described by the judges as an important commentary on debates about class and how they have evolved.
“It is a richly complex story that rises above all submissions from the African continent through a combination of humour, serious introspection and a deep sense of a shared humanity. The characters are sympathetic and warm”, said Fred Khumalo, Judge, Africa Region.
Julien was one of 25 writers from across the Commonwealth who were earlier shortlisted for the prize. The list included 5 from Trinidad and Tobago, 4 Nigerians, 3 Indians, 2 from Bangladesh, 2 from the United Kingdom, and one each from Ghana, South Africa, Malaysia, Malta, Australia, New Zealand, Guyana, Singapore, and Kenya. There was none from Uganda.
Joshua Lubwama was the last Ugandan writer to be shortlisted for the Prize, and he went on to win last year’s African Region prize. Before him, Harriet (now Aber Anena), was shortlisted in 2018. The last overall winner from Uganda was Jennifer Makumbi Nansubuga in 2014.
Commenting on her win, Julien said her story is rooted in both an ancestral sensibility and her lived experiences in Africa.
“Having grown up in the Caribbean, I was fascinated by an imagined Africa. For the last 24 years, I have walked, danced, and cried with citizens of the real Africa. My story is written from this merger,” she said.
The Commonwealth Short Story Prize is an annual literary award run by the Commonwealth Foundation, and is open to citizens of the 56 Commonwealth countries. A panel of judges selects five regional winners (Africa, Asia, Canada/Europe, Caribbean, and Pacific) before choosing one as the overall winner. Regional winners receive £2,500 (about sh12.250 million), and the overall winner receives £5,000 (about sh24.5 million).
The prize has been running since 2012, replacing the Commonwealth Short Story Competition, which ran from 1996 to 2011. Submissions open from 1 September to 1 November each year, with the shortlist announced in April, regional winners in May, and the overall winner in June.