Subraj Singh cops Commonwealth 2025 Short Story Prize for the Caribbean

One avid writer has found the perfect words to captivate the attention of one of the highest literary judging panels in the world.
Subraj Singh, a gifted and passionate storyteller from right here in Guyana has been named the Caribbean Regional Winner of the 2025 Commonwealth Short Story Prize; an honour that places him among the top emerging writers across the globe.
The Commonwealth Short Story Prize is widely regarded as one of the most prestigious literary awards in the world.
Open to writers from all 56 Commonwealth countries, it offers a global platform for stories that are bold, imaginative, and rooted in local realities.
This year, the competition drew an astounding 7,920 entries from across Africa, Asia, Canada, Europe, the Pacific, and the Caribbean.
From this global pool of talent, Singh’s short story rose to the top, earned him a spot on the shortlist, and ultimately secured the win for the Caribbean region.
Singh’s academic background is as rich and varied as his writing. He is a past student of Queen’s College, one of Guyana’s most prestigious secondary institutions. He went on to study at the University of Guyana (UG) and further honed his dramatic and storytelling skills at the National Drama School of Guyana. He then advanced his literary studies abroad, completing a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Creative Writing at the University of Maryland in the United States (US).
In an interview with Guyana Times, Singh shared the inspiration behind his winning story, and reflected on the journey that brought him to this significant moment.
He credited his early years on the West Coast of Demerara (WCD) as the foundation of his creative vision.
“That’s where I learned so much about Guyanese folklore and traditions,” he said. “Those stories, those characters—they stuck with me, and now they’re part of the stories I write.”
The story that won Singh the regional prize is a masterful blend of Guyanese folklore and colonial history—two subjects that have long fascinated him.
“The story is set on the night of Guyana’s independence from England,” Singh explained. “It focuses on the Ole Higue, a figure from Guyanese folklore. So in this story, I’m really bringing together two of my main interests: the colonial history of Guyana and the Caribbean, and our folklore—particularly characters like the Ole Higue.”
The Ole Higue is a legendary supernatural creature in Guyanese and Caribbean folklore, believed to shed her skin and fly through the night in a ball of fire, feeding on the blood of sleeping victims, especially babies.
“So, the story brings together the folklore we grew up with and a pivotal moment in our nation’s history—Independence. It was important for me to tell a story that was deeply Caribbean, deeply Guyanese, but also universally compelling.”
For Singh, the process of entering the competition was fairly straightforward for him.
“There weren’t really any struggles throughout the competition,” he said. “I just wrote my story and submitted it to the competition before the deadline—and that was it.”
Despite the simplicity of the submission process, the story itself is layered, thoughtful, and rich with cultural symbolism—qualities that clearly resonated with the Commonwealth judges.
Though he has yet to publish a book, Singh’s career is clearly on an upward trajectory.
“I’ve not had a book published as yet. But I am constantly writing and working towards that,” he said.
He emphasised the importance of community and collaboration in the writing journey.
“I would say that it’s important to be part of a writing community. It’s essential for writers to find people who can read their work and offer feedback. That’s how you know whether your work is achieving what it’s meant to achieve.”
For aspiring writers in Guyana and the Caribbean, Singh offered practical advice:
“Try to be a part of a writing community. And if there isn’t one, then try to organise one with fellow writers in Guyana. It’s about sharing ideas, giving and receiving feedback, and growing together.”