London-based Olakitan T Aladesuyi is one of 25 writers to make the 2025 Commonwealth Short Story Prize shortlist. The Commonwealth Foundation announced on Friday that the 25 made it from a haul of 8000 entries.
The Foundation stated, “An international judging panel selected the 25 writers from almost 8,000 total entries—a record-breaking number and nearly ten per cent higher than in 2024.
This year’s shortlist includes 18 Commonwealth countries, including Antigua, Barbuda, and Saint Lucia for the first time. The age range is 21 to 75, and all but one have never been shortlisted before.
The shortlisted stories conjure a wide range of scenarios—from a soldier on an unnamed border to a Beijing taxi driver with a vulnerable passenger, from a mother who turns to desperate measures to escape her abusive husband to a football-mad young boy and a ‘sacred’ Tamarind tree with a hidden secret. Many stories feature journeys—young people starting new lives overseas, an elderly woman travelling to the capital to campaign for the rights of her people, a crushing final voyage on a sinking slave ship. There are tales of exploitation, racism, greed, arrogance, betrayal, unexpected kindness, humour, courage, resistance, and the effects of small actions.”
The Foundation said of Olakitan Aladesuyi: “Ọlákìtán writes stories that often speak of what remains hidden. In 2019, her story Girl of My Dreams appeared in Prairie Schooner and won the Lawrence Foundation Award. Her work has been published in Lit Quarterly, Newfound Journal, Watershed Review, Kissing Dynamite, Down River Road, Memento, Agbowó Art, Kalahari Review and others. She grew up in Nigeria and now lives in London, where she is writing her second novel.”
Olakitan is a software engineer and writer. Her LinkedIn profile says she has five years of expertise.
She stated: “I have experience developing web services using C#, .net, grpc, Entity Framework and Azure. I am also well-versed in building applications using Python and cloud tools such as AWS Lambda, Step Functions, EventBridge, and API Gateway. I also have strong system design experience, especially in microservices architecture. As a team player, I thrive in cross-functional teams working closely with Front End and Back End developers, designers, and Product Managers to create highly performant software solutions through effective communication and teamwork.
“On the more creative side, I write short stories, essays, op-ed pieces, drama, and poetry, which have been published in literary journals and won awards both locally and abroad.”
