Nigerians dominate African Writing Award shortlist

Three Nigerian writers, Samuel Kolawole, Uche Okonkwo, and Pemi Aguda, have been shortlisted for the 2024 Caine Prize for African Writing.

The Caine Prize for African Writing is an annual literary prize for the best short story by an African writer, whether in Africa or elsewhere, published in English.

The Caine Prize for African Writing awards £10,000 to the winner and £500 to each of the four shortlisted writers. The shortlisted writers are also invited to London for public readings, media interviews, and private events with agents.

Founded in the United Kingdom in 2000, the prize honours outstanding African writers—celebrating the richness and diversity of African literature and recognising exceptional achievements in African storytelling.

The award organisers announced on their website that five exceptional stories with different perspectives and narrative styles were shortlisted among 320 entries from 28 African countries.

Mr Kolawole was shortlisted for his work in ‘Adjustment of Status‘, Ms Aguda for ‘Breastmilk’, and Ms Okonkwo for her writing in ‘Animals’.

Other shortlisted writers were Ghana’s Tryphena Yeboah for ‘The Dishwashing Women’ and South Africa’s Nadia Davids for ‘Bridling’.

Judging process

South Africa, Kenya, Zambia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Tanzania, Ghana, Uganda, Ethiopia, Namibia, Morocco, Gambia, Senegal, Eritrea, Malawi, Liberia, Botswana, Equatorial Guinea, South Sudan, Mauritius, Libya, Algeria, and Cameroon were 28 countries that submitted entries.

Chika Unigwe, chairperson of the judging panel, described the judging process as challenging and rewarding.

Ms Unigwe said the 2024 shortlist captures the vibrancy and diversity of contemporary African literature, offering insights into societies, governments, cultures, and the wider world.

The 50-year-old further noted that the stories posed a fundamental question about life’s journey and a question great art often explores.

She maintained that the shortlisted works delve into the theme with empathy, thoughtfulness, humour, and beautifully crafted prose.

The Nigerian author said, “We read over 200 eligible stories, uncovering many gems from both familiar and new writers. Our discussions were passionate, and when we reached our (unofficial) longlist, we wished we could have included every story. Our consolation is knowing that these works are out in the world, being read, recognised with other prizes, and receiving the attention they deserve.

“The shortlist and the honourable mention (Zimbabwe’s Yvette Ndlovu) span four countries and include writers at various stages of their promising careers. These stories, ranging from speculative to realistic, cover diverse subjects but share a common thread: they are compelling, universal human stories. So, how do we navigate life? In these stories, we do so with regrets, survival, performance, resistance, and living. Throughout, we strive to be seen. We are incredibly proud of this outstanding shortlist and our honourable mention. Congratulations to all the writers.”

The Caine Prize

Ellah Wakatama, Chair of the Caine Prize Board of Trustees, expressed her anticipation for using the 2024 Prize to amplify her publishing colleagues’ efforts to highlight Africa’s rich literary heritage and showcase the continent’s emerging talent.

“This fresh approach also aligns with our goal of hosting more events on the continent during our 25th Anniversary celebrations. For 24 years, the Prize has helped bring African writers to the literary world stage. We are now taking the world to Africa and its writers. We welcome your encouragement, support, and commitment as we boldly move forward”, she said.

The winner will be announced on 17 September via a pre-recorded address.

The organisers say this year’s edition will have no immediate ceremony.

However, the shortlisted writers will be integrated into the Caine Prize’s 25th-anniversary celebrations, participating in a ‘meet the writers’ event and appearing alongside past winners and shortlisted writers in readings and discussions held at partner institutions.

The celebrations will include tribute events for writers such as Charles Mungoshi (Zimbabwe) and Binyavanga Wainana (Kenya), who have died since they won or were shortlisted for the Prize.

Furthermore, all shortlisted stories will be published in The Caine Prize Anthology alongside stories written at the Caine Prize Workshop this year in Malawi.

Shortlisted Nigerians

Mr Kọ́láwọlé, born and raised in Ibadan, Oyo State, is the author of the critically acclaimed novel “The Road to the Salt Sea”. His work has appeared in AGNI, New England Review, Georgia Review, The Hopkins Review, Gulf Coast, Washington Square Review, Harvard Review, Image Journal, and other literary publications.

He has received numerous residencies and fellowships, been a finalist for the Graywolf Press Africa Prize and International Book Award, and shortlisted for the UK’s First Novel Prize. He also won an Editor-Writer Mentorship Program for Diverse Writers.

A graduate of the MFA in Writing and Publishing at Vermont College of Fine Arts, Mr Kọ́láwọlé earned his PhD in English and Creative Writing from Georgia State University. He has taught creative writing in Africa, Sweden, and the United States and is currently an Assistant Professor of English and African Studies at Pennsylvania State University.

Furthermore, Ms Okonkwo’s stories have been published in A Public Space, One Story, the Kenyon Review, Ploughshares, The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2019, and Lagos Noir, among others. She is the author of the debut story collection A Kind of Madness: Tin House (2024), Narrative Landscape (2024), and VERVE Books (2025)—a former Bernard O’Keefe Scholar at the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference and resident at Art Omi.

She receives the George Bennett Fellowship at Phillips Exeter Academy, a Steinbeck Fellowship, and an Elizabeth George Foundation grant. Okonkwo grew up in Lagos, Nigeria, and is pursuing a creative writing PhD at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

More so, Ms Aguda is an MFA graduate from the Helen Zell Writers’ Program at the University of Michigan and the 2020 Deborah Rogers Foundation Award winner. Her writing has been published in One Story, Granta, Ploughshares, American Short Fiction, Zoetrope, and other publications, and she has been awarded the O. Henry Prize for short fiction in 2022 and 2023.

She is the author of a collection of stories, Ghostroots (W.W. Norton, 2024; Virago Press, 2024; and Masobe Books, 2024). Pemi is from Lagos, Nigeria.

Previous Nigerian winners

Seven Nigerians have won the prestigious prize since its inception in 2000. Helon Habila, Irenosen Okojie, Lesley Nneka Arimah, Rotimi Babatunde, Tope Folarin, EC Osondu, and Segun Afolabi.

In 2001, Mr Habila’s short story “Love Poems” won the Caine Prize.

Mr Afolabi won the 2005 prize with his compelling story ‘Monday Morning’, while Mr Osondu’s ‘Waiting’ earned him the award in 2009. Mr Folarin’s ‘Miracle’ won him the 2013 prize, and Babatunde’s ‘Bombay’s Republic’ earned him the 2012 prize.

Ms Arimah’s ‘Skinned’ was awarded the 2019 Caine Prize for African Writing, and Okojie’s ‘Grace Jones’ won the 2020 prize.

A Senegalese couple, Mame Bougouma Diene and Woppa Diallo, made history in 2023 by jointly winning the prize for their short story ‘A Soul of Small Places’.

It marked the first time a husband and wife writing partnership had won the honour since the prize’s establishment in 2000.

The couple received a £10,000 prize at a glittering ceremony held at One Birdcage Walk in London on 2 October 2023.