Granta cuts ties with Commonwealth prize after AI row involving Maltese writer

Granta will no longer publish the winning entries of the Commonwealth Short Story Prize after controversy over allegations that some of this year’s regional winners may have used artificial intelligence.

The row has drawn in Maltese writer John Edward DeMicoli, whose story The Bastion’s Shadow won the Canada and Europe category of the 2026 prize.

DeMicoli was one of five regional winners announced by the Commonwealth Foundation in May. His story was published on Granta alongside the other winning entries.

But soon after the stories were published, several writers and readers online began claiming that some of the winning works showed signs of AI-generated writing.

The strongest criticism initially centred on The Serpent in the Grove, by Trinidad and Tobago writer Jamir Nazir, winner of the Caribbean category. Other winning stories, including DeMicoli’s, were also scrutinised online, with users pointing to AI detection tools and what they described as common “AI tells”.

There is no conclusive evidence that any of the stories were written using AI, and the authors have denied the allegations, according to statements issued by the Commonwealth Foundation and Granta.

Granta has now said it will no longer take part in external publishing partnerships where it does not have editorial control.

The literary magazine said its editors had not been involved in selecting the Commonwealth prize shortlists or winners.

“For the sake of our own editorial integrity,” Granta said, its board had decided to stop engaging in such partnerships. It said the 2026 shortlisted stories would remain online “in the public interest”.

The decision marks a significant escalation in a controversy that has become one of the most prominent literary disputes over AI use in recent years.

The Commonwealth Short Story Prize, launched in 2012, is open to unpublished short fiction between 2,000 and 5,000 words from writers across the Commonwealth. Regional winners receive £2,500, while the overall winner receives £5,000.

The Commonwealth Foundation has said it takes the allegations seriously and has reviewed available evidence, while also stressing its duty to support the writers and respect the work of the independent judging panel.

It said all shortlisted writers had personally stated that no AI was used.

The foundation has also said it does not use AI checkers during the judging process, arguing that feeding unpublished fiction into such tools raises concerns over consent and artistic ownership. It added that AI detection tools are not infallible.

In an earlier statement, the foundation acknowledged that generative AI poses a growing challenge for literature and other creative fields, and said it would review its process to ensure it can respond to the issue.

Granta had previously added a note to the Commonwealth prize stories saying there had been speculation that some of them may have been at least partly AI-generated, but that the stories would remain online unless definite evidence emerged.

DeMicoli declined to comment when contacted by Times of Malta.

The overall winner of the Commonwealth Short Story Prize is due to be announced on June 30.