This one is a doozy. Three writers who were accused last month of using AI to create their Commonwealth Foundation Short Story Prize-winning pieces have been cleared.
Director-General of the Commonwealth Foundation Razmi Farook said in a statement on the organization’s website: “We have spent the past month thoroughly investigating allegations of AI use.”
- No AI tools were used in the investigation due to concerns “regarding artistic ownership and consent surrounding unpublished work.”
The investigation instead consisted of “detailed discussions” with all of the regional winners.
- All five regional winners—not just the three who were accused of AI use—”collaborated fully” in the review.
- Asked to show their work, they provided “working drafts, time-stampeddocumentsand notes.”
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The verdict: “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.”
- But the damage is already done, as Granta has ended its partnership with the Commonwealth Foundation and will no longer publish the winning stories in its literary magazine.
The winner of the 2026 Short Story Prize will be announced June 30, “alongside a film documenting the regional winners and the inspirations behind their work,” which should really be something given
Read the Commonwealth Foundation’s whole statement.