Charlotte Grimshaw shortlisted for the 2010 Commonwealth Writer's Prize 

Internationally recognised for propelling authors into the literary spotlight, the shortlist for the regional winners from South East Asia and Pacific has been unveiled in the race to win the influential 2010 Commonwealth Writers’ Prize. Offering an exceptional opportunity for new writers to demonstrate their talent and for authors already on the literary scene to strengthen their reputation, writers across the region are in pole position to compete with the best authors from, Africa, Caribbean and Canada and South Asia and Europe to win the coveted prizes of the Commonwealth’s Best Book and Best First Book.

New Zealand's Charlotte Grimshaw is amongst the group being nominated for the South East Asia and Pacific Best Book. This is a remarkable achievement and showcases Charlotte's novel Singularity to the world. The critically acclaimed Commonwealth Writers’ Prize is in its 24th year and has a strong track record of discovering new international stars.

Having been short-listed along with five other South East Asia and Pacific writers for Best Book, Singularity will now go through to the next phase of the competition, where the South East Asia and the Pacific regional judging panel will meet to decide the two regional Commonwealth winners for Best Book and Best First Book. The regional winners will be announced in Sydney on 11 March and the two overall winners will be announced in India on 12 April, where finalists from all over the Commonwealth will gather.

The full list of Random House authors to be shortlisted are:

Charlotte Grimshaw, Singularity, New Zealand, Best Book
J. M. Coetzee, Summertime, Australia, Best Book
Thomas Kenealley, The People's Train, Australia, Best Book
Evie Wyld, After The Fire, A Still Small Voice, Australia, First Book
Glenda Guest, Siddon Rock, Australia, First Book  

For more information on the other shortlisted candidates and the award, visit the Commonwealth Foundation website.