Recreation

Commonwealth Writers Prize

Christchurch City Libraries lists literary prize winners and links to catalogue searches, but we may not hold copies of all titles mentioned.

The Commonwealth Writers Prize, established in 1987, is sponsored by the Commonwealth Foundation with the support of the Macquarie Foundation. Any work of prose fiction is eligible, i.e. a novel or collection of short stories. The work must have been written by a citizen of the Commonwealth, must be of a reasonable length and be in English. There is no restriction on setting, theme or mode.

Each regional winner receives £1,000. The overall best book winner will receive £10,000 and the overall best first book winner will receive £5,000.

2010

Best Book
Solo by Rana Dasgupta
Best First Book
cover: Siddon RockSiddon Rock by Glenda Guest

2009

Best Book
The Lost Colours of the Chameleon Mandla Langa (South Africa)
Best First Book
Say You're One of Them Uwem Akpan (Nigeria)

Cover: The year of the Shanghai sharkAucklander Mo Zhi Hong's The year of the Shanghai shark won the Best First Book Prize for South East Asia and the South Pacific. Two other New Zealand authors were shortlisted for the awards: Paula Morris's Forbidden cities in the best book section, and Bridget Van der Zijpp (Misconduct) in the best first book section alongside Hong.

2008

Best Book
The Book of Negroes Lawrence Hill (Canada)
Best First Book
Cover: A Golden AgeA Golden Age Tahmima Anam (Bangladesh)

2007

Best Book
Mister Pip Lloyd Jones (New Zealand)
Best First Book
Vandal Love D.Y. Bechard (Canada)

Africa

Best Book: The Native Commissioner Shaun Johnson (South Africa)
Best First Book: All We Have Left Unsaid Maxine Case (South Africa)

Canada and the Caribbean

Best Book: The Friends of Meager Fortune David Adams Richards (Canada), Doubleday Canada
Best First Book:Vandal Love D.Y. Bechard (Canada), Doubleday

Europe and South Asia

Best Book: The Perfect Man Naeem Murr (UK), Heinemann
Best First Book: In the Country of Men Hisham Matar (UK), Viking

South East Asia and South Pacific

Best Book: Mister Pip Lloyd Jones (New Zealand), Penguin
Best First Book: Tuvalu Andrew O'Connor (Australia), Allen and Unwin

2006

Best Book
The Secret River Kate Grenville
Best First Book
Suspended Sentences: Fictions of Atonement Mark McWatt

2005

Best book
Small Island Andrea Levy
Best first book
Purple Hibiscus Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

2004

Best book
A Distant Shore Caryl Phillips
Best first book
cover: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-TimeThe Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time Mark Haddon

2003

Best book
The Polished hoe Austin Clarke
Best first book
Haweswater Sarah Hall

2002

2001

2000

1999

1998

1997

1996

1995

1994

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1992

1991

1990

1989

1988

1987