The History of the Commonwealth Organization and the Commonwealth Writers Prize

The Commonwealth Foundation is an English organization which was first established in 1964 at the Conference of Commonwealth Prime Ministers. There, an organization was proposed that would function as a charitable trust and would exist to encourage the growth of professional associations in the Commonwealth, assistance in the establishment of national professional societies as a part of helping the Commonwealth to shed its Anglican image, the promotion of professional activity within the region, the exchange of experience and skills and the expansion of experience via the aid of the printed word. The Commonwealth Foundation aimed and continues to aim to with with organizations outside of the government in order to create a broader network of professional associations in order to contribute to the growth of arts and culture as well as the promotion of equal rights and the awareness of the importance of social welfare.

The Governance Of The Commonwealth Foundation

The Commonwealth Foundation has a Board of Governors which is made up of five representatives from civilian society as well as all member governments, which are generally represented by High Commissioners who are based out of London. There is an annual board meeting which is supported by both the Grants and Executive Committees, which have meetings twice a year. There are also two committees for advisory, which include the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize Advisory Committee as well as the Civil Society Advisory Committee. The leader of the Commonwealth Foundation is always chosen from a pool of people who are known for their great accomplishments. The initial Foundation Chairman, Sir Frank Macfarlane Burnet, was a Nobel laureate, an exceptional achievement in the field of writing. The current Foundation Chairman was both Minister and Secretary of State in the Seychelles. The Commonwealth Foundation has 47 member countries and is open to any Commonwealth government.

The History and Nature of the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize

The Commonwealth Writers’ Prize, a literary award which was created by the Commonwealth Foundation in 1987, was designed to award both new and established writers. The old prize, which was a popular contest for writers within the Commonwealth, was discontinued. However, in 2011, the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize and the connected short story competition were relaunched under a different name- Commonwealth Writers – a world of new fiction. This change in the contest prompted the addition of two new prizes. The Commonwealth Book Prize, a monetary prize awarded for the best first published book from an author 18 or over, consists of 2,500 pounds for regional winners with one grand prize winner receiving 10,000 pounds. The Commonwealth Short Story Prize, a monetary prize awarded for a piece of short fiction that has not been published and is chosen to be of the highest quality, awards regional winners 1,000 pounds each and a grand prize winner 5,000 pounds. The contest is an extremely popular one for writers who qualify within the Commonwealth. Winning these awards is a prestigious and highly desired honor which bodes well for the future literary career of the winner.