Jamir Nazir wins 2026 Commonwealth Short Story Prize for story at the centre of an AI controversy

Trinidadian writer Jamir Nazir’s story, “The Serpent in the Grove” is the overall winner of the 2026 Commonwealth Short Story Prize. He was also the regional winner from the Caribbean, and receives a cash prize of £5000.

A controversy broke out over the story after the 2026 regional winners were announced. Writer and researcher Nabeel S Qureshi pointed to parts of Nazir’s story showcasing typical “ChatGPT-generated” language. Jenna Russel, a research scientist at Pangram, said that three from this year’s five regional winners, including Nazir’s, seemed to have been partly or wholly AI creations.

In response, the Commonwealth Foundation said it had reviewed the matter and had decided to stand by the choices of its jury. Razmi Farook, the Director-General of the Commonwealth Foundation, said in a statement, “…After a thorough consultation with our judges and careful consideration of all available information, we are satisfied that AI was not used to write the winning stories. Therefore, we will proceed with the regional winners selected by the independent judging process.”

Meanwhile, Granta, which until now had been publishing the regional winners of the Prize, said it would no longer be following this practice, and would only publish material chosen by its own editors. The magazine said, “The 2026 selection of the regional winners of the...

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