NWU student shortlisted for international writing competition

Originally from Klerksdorp, NWU student Matshediso Radebe is one of only three writers from South Africa to be shortlisted for the 2023 Commonwealth Short Story competition.

She says she is thrilled and honoured to be part of such a great competition. Matshediso started writing short stories when she was just nine years old. “I would show my work to my parents and teachers at school, and they were fairly impressed,” she said.

“From there, whenever we got assignments requiring us to write short stories, I always got positive feedback about my writing; it boosted my confidence and motivated me to keep going.” Although Matshediso naturally enjoys writing, she says she always finds it easier to start and finish a story when she writes with intention.

“I was browsing the web one day when I stumbled across the Commonwealth Short Story competition. I was extremely inspired to find out that an African had won the previous year,” she said.

Without hesitation, Matshediso entered the competition and hoped for the best. Now, selected as one of only three, the communication student says even if she does not win the prize, being shortlisted is already a big win.

Matshediso’s achievement comes as no surprise. She won the South African Writers College Short Story Competition in 2022, the first writing competition she had ever entered. She says winning this competition boosted her self-confidence and motivated her to enter more in the future.

The 2023 Commonwealth short-listed stories will be published online at Adda [ Home – adda (add-astories.org)]. The regional winners will be announced on 17 May, and the overall winner on 27 June. The Commonwealth Foundation, an intergovernmental organisation, administers the prize. Director-general Dr Anne T Gallagher, AO (Officer of the Order of Australia), says 6,642 writers entered stories in 2023. She congratulates the 28 writers who made the shortlist.