The Commonwealth Foundation said that shortlisted writers in this year’s Commonwealth Short Story Prize, including Maltese regional winner John Edward DeMicoli, used no artificial intelligence in the creation of their stories following mounting online allegations surrounding the competition.
The statement comes after controversy erupted this week when readers and AI researchers claimed that some of the 2026 regional winning entries displayed stylistic patterns commonly associated with AI-generated writing. Among the stories scrutinised online was The Bastion’s Shadow by Mr DeMicoli, who earlier this year became the first Maltese writer to win the Canada and Europe regional category of the prestigious literary prize.
In comments sent to WhosWho.mt, Commonwealth Foundation Director General Razmi Farook said the organisation was “aware of allegations and discussion regarding generative AI and our Short Story Prize” and stressed that the foundation takes the claims “seriously”.
However, Mr Farook said the foundation had consulted with all shortlisted writers and confirmed that “no AI was used”.
“When they submit stories to the Prize, writers accept our entry rules and guidelines. These include confirming that their submission is their own original work,” he said.
“All shortlisted writers have personally stated that no AI was used and, upon further consultation, the Foundation has confirmed this. We place our confidence in the integrity of our contributors and the calibre and experience of the judges and Chair of the Judging panel, and stand by the assurances given by our authors as part of our process.”
The Commonwealth Foundation also defended its judging procedures, describing them as “robust” and involving “multiple rounds of readers before progressing to the final judging panel”.
Mr Farook explained that the organisation does not currently use AI-detection software during the judging process because the competition is based on unpublished fiction, arguing that uploading writers’ original work into AI detection systems raises concerns over consent and artistic ownership.
“We also do not use AI to judge stories at any stage of the process,” he added.
The controversy first emerged after The Serpent in the Grove by Trinidad and Tobago writer Jamir Nazir, winner of the Caribbean regional category, was accused online of potentially being AI-generated. Different AI-detection tools produced contradictory results when analysing the story, with some classifying it as fully AI-generated while others identified it as entirely human-written.
The scrutiny soon spread to other regional winners, including Mr DeMicoli’s The Bastion’s Shadow and Mehendi Nights by Indian writer Sharon Aruparayil.
Ms Aruparayil publicly denied using AI “at any stage” in her writing process and reportedly supplied draft histories and timestamps to organisers.
Mr DeMicoli’s story, which is set in Valletta and explores themes of migration, memory and dignity through the lives of an NGO worker and a newly arrived migrant, had previously been praised by judges for its emotional depth and storytelling.
At the time of his regional win, Mr DeMicoli described the recognition as “an incredible honour” and said the story was inspired by Malta’s relationship with migration across the Mediterranean.
The Commonwealth Foundation said the rapid rise of generative AI presents “significant challenges” for the literary world and wider creative industries, adding that the sector must work together to protect artistic integrity while continuing to support emerging voices across the Commonwealth.
“Until a sufficient tool or process to reliably detect the use of AI emerges that can also grapple with the challenges pertaining to working with unpublished fiction, the Foundation and the Commonwealth Short Story Prize must operate on the principle of trust,” Mr Farook said.
Read Mr DeMicoli's short story here.
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