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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.


PAGES

 * The History of the Commonwealth Organization and the Commonwealth Writers
   Prize
 * The Commonwealth Writers – Building a Stronger Society Through Creative
   Writing
 * The Commonwealth Writers – Rewarding Excellence for Creative Literary
   Expression
 * The Commonwealth Foundation – Providing Portals for a Participatory Political
   Process
 * The Commonwealth Writers – Projects Promoting Creative


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All Rights Reserved 2013