African Speculative Society’s Nommo Awards 2020 nominees announced.

The African Speculative Society’s Nommo Awards 2020 nominees were announced on Sunday, April 19, 2020.

The Nommo Awards were introduced by the African Speculative Society to showcase writing known in other markets by names like magical realism, Sci-Fi, horror, and graphic novel in 2016. Previous winners have been Tade Thompson, Nnedi Okorafor, Tendai Huchu and Lesley Nneka Arimah in 2017; and Tade Thompson, Kwabena Ofei, Setor Fiadzigbey, Wole Talabi, and Tochi Onyebuchi in 2018. In 2019, the honours went to Akwaeke Emezi, Nerine Dorman, Ekpeki Oghenechovwe Donald, alongside Nnedi Okorafor and Leonardo Romero.

The 2020 prizes are on their way as the awards team announced the nominees in the novel, novella, short story, and graphic novel categories. They are;

Novel

• Akwaeke Emezi, Pet (Faber and Faber)
• Eugen Bacon, Claiming T-Mo (Meerkat Press)
• Frank Owen, North (Penguin Random House South Africa)
• Lauri Kubuitsile, But Deliver Us From Evil (Penguin Random House South Africa)
• Masande Ntshanga Triangulum (Penguin Random House South Africa)
• Mary Watson, The Wickerlight (Bloomsbury)
• Mary Watson, The Wren Hunt (Bloomsbury)
• Myles Ojabo Black River (Dafel Books)
• Namwali Serpell, The Old Drift (Penguin Random House/Vintage/Hogarth)
• Nerine Dorman, Sing Down The Stars (Tafelberg)
• Nerine Dorman, The Company of Birds (Immanion Press)
• Rachael A.Z., Mutabingwa Kunda (Zaaz Press) free on Kindle
• Suyi Davies Okungbowa, David Mogo, Godhunter (Simon and Schuster)
• Tade Thompson, Rosewater Redemption (Orbit)
• Tade Thompson, Rosewater Insurrection (Orbit)
• T C Farren, The Book of Malachi (Kwela)
• Temi Oh, Do You Dream of Terra Two? (Simon and Schuster)
• Toby Bennet, The Music Box (Tafelberg)
• Tochi Onyebuchi, War Girls (Razorbill Penguin Group)
• Tomi Adeyemi, Children of Virtue and Vengeance (Macmillan Publishers/Henry Holt and Co.)
• Yolandie Horak, A Study of Ash & Smoke

Novella

• Bill Masuku, Misfortunism (Sera Blue Books)
• Bill Masuku, Psychophagy (Sera Blue Books)
• Caldon Mull, Weatherman (Caldon Mull)
• Caldon Mull, Terraform Triptych (Caldon Mull)
• C L Corona, High Tower Gods, (Amazon Digital Services)
• Cat Hellisen, Even When The World Has Told Us We Have Ended (ebook)
• Kerstin Hall, The Border Keeper (Tor.com)
• Unathi Slasha, Jah Hills (Black Ghost Books) NB: copyright 2017, published 2018
• Wole Talabi, Incompleteness Theories (single-author anthology, INCOMPLETE SOLUTIONS, Luna Press)

Short Story

• Acan Innocent Immaculate, Song Bird (Brittle Paper and Go the Way Your Blood Beats, anthology edited by Anathi Jongilanga, Brittle Paper)
• Ada Nnadi TINY, Bravery (Omenana)
• Ama Josephine Budge, A Shoal of Lovers Leads Me Home (Anathema Magazine)
• Ayodele Olufintuade, The Storm Painter (Strange Horizons)
• Caldon Mull, Refugia (Omenana)
• Chikodili Emelumadu, Sin Easter (Omenana)
• Chinelo Onwualu, What The Dead Man Said (Slate.com)
• Dare Segun Falowo, Vain Knife (The Dark Magazine)
• Deji Bryce Olukotun, Between The Dark And The Dark (Lightspeed)
• Ekari Mbvundula, The Blue Ball (Story Ink Africa)
• Ekpeki Oghenechovwe Donald Ife-Iyoku (Selene Quarterly)
• Eugen Bacon, A Pining (StylusLit), The Day Chivalry Died (AntipodeanSF), A Good Ball (Other Terrain Journal) (all from the single-author anthology DYING AND OTHER STORIES)
• Hannah Onoguwe, Where The Palm Nut Grows (Timeworn Literary Journal)
• Haku Jackson, The Silent God (Omenana)
• Imade Iyamu, Oduduwa: The Return (in anthology YOUNG EXPLORERS ADVENTURE GUIDE VOL 6 edited by Corie and Sean Weaver, Dreaming Robot Press)
• Innocent Chizaram Ilo, Female Computer Wanted Apply Within (Fireside Fiction)
• Innocent Chizaram Ilo, Red Crows (Cosmic Roots and Eldritch Shores)
• Ivana Akotowaa Ofori, Principles of Balance (Jalada)
• Kathleen Kayembe, The Ocean That Fades Into The Sky (Lightspeed)
• Keletso Mopai, Becoming A God (from the single-author anthology IF YOU KEEP DIGGING, Jacana Media) (Omenana)
• Keletso Mopai, Fourteen( from single-author anthology IF YOU KEEP DIGGING, Jacana Media)
• Kofi Nyameye, The Lights Go Out One By One (Asimovs Science Fiction)
• Lesley Arimah, Skinned, (McSweeney’s Quarterly Concern)
• Mame Bougouma Diene, Another Day In The Desert (EscapePod)
• Mame Bougouma Diene, The Last of Her Kind (Omenana)
• Mandisi Nkomo, Dropzone (Mandisi Nkomo)
• Mohale Mashigo, Mutshidzi (anthology A WORLD OF HORROR edited by Eric J Guignard, Dark Moon Books)
• Nick Wood, A Million Reasons Why (from single-author collection LEARNING MONKEY AND CROCODILE, Luna Press)
• Nikhil Singh, The Re-evolution of Cloud 9 (from anthology THE UNQUIET DREAMER: A TRIBUTE TO HARLAN ELLISON edited by Preston Grassman, PS Publishing)
• Olufunke Ogundimu, In-Between (Jalada)
• Ope Adedeji, After The Birds (McSweeney’s Quarterly Concern)
• Osahon Ize-Iyamu, Flags Flying Before A Fall (Strange Horizons)
• Osahon Ize-Iyamu, In The Garden Watching Nim-Noms (Omenana)
• Osahon Ize-Iyamu, Who Has Never Loved A Gentle House (Strange Horizons)
• Osahon Ize-Iyamu, Therein Lies A Soul (The Dark Magazine)
• Pemi Aguda, Manifest 11 (Granta)
• Pemi Aguda, 24 Alhaji Williams Street (Zoetrope)
• Rafeeat Aliyu, Where The Rain Mothers Are (Strange Horizons)
• Rafeif Ismail, Something Like Revolution (Meanjin Quarterly)
• Shingai Kagunda, Holding On To Water (Omenana)
• Stephen Embleton, The Girl With Two Bodies (Kalahari Review)
• Suyi Davies Okungbowa, The Haunting of 13 Oluwo Street (Fireside)
• Suyi Davies Okungbowa, A Light For The Dark Under (Brick Moon) (also in the anthology IT STARTS WITH A HEIST (Brick Moon)
• Tariro Ndoro, A Tale of Two Sisters (anthology HOTEL AFRICA, Short Story Day Africa)
• Tariro Ndoro, The Cure (in NOWHEREVILLE: WEIRD IS OTHER PEOPLE, Broken Eye Books)
• T L Huchu, Corialis (Fiyah)
• Tiah Marie Beautement, The American Refugee (Cast of Wonders Podcast)
• Tobi Ogundiran, Fael (Beneath Ceaseless Skies)
• Wole Talabi, When We Dream We are Our God (Apex Magazine and ALL BORDERS ARE TEMPORARY, TrAP Magazine)
• Wole Talabi, Abeokuta52 (Omenana)
• Wole Talabi, Tends To Zero (in NOWHEREVILLE: WEIRD IS OTHER PEOPLE, Broken Eye Books)

Graphic novels

• Beast From Venus, (Avandu Vosi) Kiprop Kimutai (author) and Salim Busuru (artist)
• Blackmoon, (Comic Republic) Tobe Max Ezeogu (author) and Tobe Max Ezeogu, Tobe Ezeogu, Ozo Ezeogu, Kelechi Isaac (artists)
• Captain South Africa, Part 1: Origins (Enigma Comix) Bill Masuku (author and artist)
• Danfo, (TAG Comics) Morakinyo Araoye, and Steven Akinyemi (authors) Ogim Ekpezu (artist)
• Hawi, (Etan Comics) Beserat Debebe (author) and Stanley Obende (artist)
• Iyani Child of Wonder (YouNeek Studios) Roye Okupe (author) and Godwin Akpan (artist)
• Jember (Etan Comics) Beserate Dbebe (author) and Stanley Obende (artist) KAMI (Mira Hirwa publisher) Mika Hirwa (author and artist)
• Moongirls (Drama Queens Gh) Akosua Hanson, Suhaidatu Dramani, George Hanson, Tsiddi (authors) and AnimaxFYB Studios (artists)
• Land of Gods: Orun, (Vortex Comics) Kevin Sampong and Somto Ajuluchukwu (authors) Gemahel Kamgain (art)
• Nani, (Kugali Comics) Ziki Nelson (author) Jasonas Lamy (artist) SANU (Elupe Comics) SSentogo Charles (author and artist)
• Welcome To The Dead World, (Sam Graphico Anthology) Bill Masuku (author and artist)

The shortlists and winners will be announced in due course.