The Trinidadian writer, Jamir Nazir, has won the 2026 Commonwealth Short Story Prize for his story, The Serpent in the Grove. The announcement was made during a film documenting the five regional winners of the 2026 Commonwealth Short Story Prize.

Jamir was selected as the winner from 7,806 entries from across the Commonwealth. His story explores betrayal, survival, and the stubborn force of a woman’s will in a rural Trinidadian setting.

The Chair of the judging panel, Louise Doughty, together with the 2026 panel of judges, said: “We are hugely proud of our shortlist, regional winners, and our overall winner. The Serpent in the Grove by Jamir Nazir is an original, poetic, and deeply moving story.”

Nazir had previously been announced as the winner of the Caribbean region on May 14, 2026, and his story was published in Granta two days later. Despite the backlash and the criticism levied against the story as AI-generated, the story went on to win the overall Commonwealth Short Story Prize for 2026. Many social media users on Facebook criticised the news.

The winning story can be found in Granta: https://granta.com/the-serpent-in-the-grove/