What an inspiring and incredible time we had in Samoa.
Last year’s Commonwealth People’s Forum offered a unique opportunity for learning and connection for civil society advocates from around the world.
Whether you joined us in person or online, or if you’re just catching up now, we’d love you to watch the official outcome video which draws together everything we learnt from civil society over the two days of the Forum, and also presents the recommendations civil society made to Commonwealth Governments in Samoa.
We hope you enjoy watching this year's outcome video: a glimpse of the incredible energy generated every time the people of the Commonwealth come together.
We are delighted to announce the regional winners of the 2026 Commonwealth Short Story Prize.
Please join us in congratulating our winners, who were chosen from 7,806 entries:
Lisa-Anne Julien @lisaannejulien (South Africa, Africa region)
Sharon Aruparayil @sharon.aruparayil (India, Asia region)
John Edward DeMicoli (Malta, Canada and Europe region)
Jamir Nazir (Trinidad and Tobago, Caribbean region)
Holly Ann Miller @holly.ann.miller (New Zealand, Pacific region)
Chair of the Judges Louise Doughty praised the winners for their ‘immense confidence of tone’, adding that each writer leads readers into ‘a world where the characters are utterly believable, the prose assured, and the author has something important to say.’
One of the regional winners will now go on to be named the overall winner of the 2026 Commonwealth Short Story Prize on 30 June.
Read more about the writers and their stories below.
/short-story-prize/
Across the Caribbean, civil society organisations are driving real change.
Since 2021, we’ve supported 40 projects helping organisations influence policy and lead locally driven solutions.
From climate education in Guyana to health advocacy in Barbados and sustainable governance in the Bahamas, these projects are making a tangible impact.
In Guyana, Policy Forum Guyana’s (@policyforumguyana ) creative campaigns helped integrate environmental education into the national curriculum.
In Barbados, the Association of Endometriosis & P.C.O.S.’s (@endoandpcosbb ) research strengthened national conversations on access to treatment.
In the Bahamas, the Organization for Responsible Governance Foundation’s (@org_bahamas ) new systems are improving how organisations measure their impact.
Together, these efforts are helping civil society build resilience, strengthen its voice, and drive meaningful change.
What does it mean to come together across 56 nations?
As we look ahead to the Commonwealth People’s Forum in Antigua and Barbuda this November, Selina Tusitala Marsh’s poem ‘Uncommon Banyan II’ explores how connection, creativity and dialogue shape the Commonwealth.
She imagines it as a living, interconnected banyan tree, rooted in shared histories and growing through the stories and perspectives it holds.
Read the poem on our online magazine, adda: /uncommon-banyan-ii-the-tenders-call/
Illustration: @ropate_kama
Ancestral thread. Common thread. Everyday thread. Mending thread.
Across the Commonwealth, invisible threads run through our lives, carrying memory, identity and change. Each one is different, but together they connect us.
What does your thread hold?
Reflect on the prompts in the slides and share your interpretation. Your piece will become part of the Commonwealth Quilt, a shared creative work shaped by voices across 56 nations.
Submissions close 9 June. Submit to the Commonwealth quilt here: /how-to-make-a-commonwealth-quilt/
Since 2021, we’ve funded 26 projects across the Pacific, supporting civil society organisations in small island states to strengthen resilience, amplify community voices and influence policy. Our partners championed innovative, community-led approaches to some of the region’s most pressing challenges.
We fund projects in eligible Commonwealth countries across the Pacific. Learn more here: commonwealthfoundation.com/grants/annual
Our grants programme funds projects that bring civil society and decision-makers together to help shape policy and drive meaningful change. Project funding lasts for up to two years.
Not-for-profit civil society organisations registered in eligible Commonwealth countries, with at least 3 years’ experience in participatory governance and advocacy, are eligible to apply.
Our next call for applications will open later this year.
Learn more and register for grants updates: /grants/annual
We are thrilled to announce the 2026 Commonwealth Short Story Prize shortlist. The international panel of judges has selected 25 writers from a pool of 7,806 entrants.
Director-General of the Commonwealth Foundation, Razmi Farook, said: ‘Congratulations to all the shortlisted writers. Each year, the Prize becomes more competitive, and this year’s shortlist reflects the remarkable creativity found across our Commonwealth. Storytelling continues to play a vital role, offering space for voices and perspectives that help us better understand one another and imagine a more hopeful, inclusive future.’
The full shortlist is listed below. Follow @cwfcreatives for detailed coverage of the prize.
Africa region:
Lois Akoma Antwi (Ghana)
Ken Odak Odumbe (Kenya)
Dawn Immanuel (Nigeria)
Hussani Abdulrahim (Nigeria)
Ola W. Halim (Nigeria)
Oluwatoke Adejoye (Nigeria)
Lisa-Anne Julien (South Africa)
Asia region:
Anmana Manishita (Bangladesh)
Shazed Ul Hoq Abir (Bangladesh)
Rafaa Dalvi (India)
Rupsa Dey (India)
Sharon Aruparayil (India)
Mohamed Nasser Mohamed (Malaysia)
Jacqueline Chang (Singapore)
Canada and Europe region:
John Edward DeMicoli (Malta)
Alison Armstrong (UK)
Jennifer Harvey (UK)
Caribbean region:
Cosmata Lindie (Guyana)
Celeste Mohammed (Trinidad and Tobago)
Jamir Nazir (Trinidad and Tobago)
Jason Dookeran (Trinidad and Tobago)
Jochelle Greaves Siew (Trinidad and Tobago)
Roger-Mark De Souza (Trinidad and Tobago)
Pacific region:
M.S. Bhatia (Australia)
Holly Ann Miller (New Zealand)
Learn more about the writers:
/short-story-prize/
What does it mean to be connected across 56 countries?
In ‘How to Make a Commonwealth Quilt’, Commonwealth Poet Laureate @selinatusitalamarsh brings together the voices, histories and cultures of the Commonwealth into a single poetic work.
The poem is a patchwork of 56 pieces, one for each Commonwealth country. Woven together, they reflect shared stories and global connections. It was performed at the Commonwealth Day service in London.
Selina’s work is the inspiration behind the Commonwealth Quilt, our global open call inviting creative responses to the theme ‘Thread’ across visual, literary and performance art.
Read the poem on our online magazine, adda: /how-to-make-a-commonwealth-quilt/
How do art and culture connect us across oceans, cultures and communities?
Your answer could form part of the Commonwealth Quilt.
We’re inviting creative submissions inspired by the prompt ‘Thread’ across visual, literary and performance art ahead of the 2026 Commonwealth People’s Forum.
Selected works will be exhibited in Antigua and Barbuda, with £200 awarded to chosen entries from each region.
This is a chance to add your voice to a global tapestry.
🔗 Find out more via the link in bio, or visit: /how-to-make-a-commonwealth-quilt/
'This is an opportunity to demonstrate the continued value of Commonwealth cooperation. At a time when multilateralism is under strain, the Commonwealth has a unique role to play in fostering collaboration and shared solutions.'
Commonwealth Foundation Director-General Razmi Farook was speaking on the importance of the upcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting at an event organised by the Malta High Commission and @Kaleidoscope_t .
Razmi also discussed how the Foundation will seek to advance human rights through the People’s Forum, and how to ensure civil society shapes outcomes from CHOGM.
📷: Kaleidoscope Trust
‘A world governed, however imperfectly, by common rules is safer than one in which power alone determines outcomes.’ - H.E. Fatou Bensouda
As global politics grow more uncertain, what role should the Commonwealth and civil society play in shaping a more stable and cooperative future?
Last week, over 1,000 people joined this conversation. Now you can watch it on demand.
Watch the recording of ‘The Commonwealth in a Changing World: Civil Society, Cooperation, and the Future of Multilateralism': /watch?v=K9WAd69hz9Q
Featuring contributions from:
H.E. Fatou Bensouda
Heba Aly
Samir Puri
Satara Uthayakumaran @sat.ara1
Razmi Farook
