The Alexander Nderitu Prize for World Literature 2024 longlist was announced in Nairobi, Kenya on Saturday, November 30, 2024.
The Alexander Nderitu Prize For World Literature is a new prize awarded to the best unpublished short story from anywhere in the world. Named for Kenyan writer Alexander Nderitu, it is aimed at launching new literary stars.
The submissions with the theme “peace” came from Nigeria, Kenya, Zambia, Eswatini, South Sudan, Zimbabwe, Poland, Malawi, The Gambia, Sri Lanka, the USA, Botswana, and Tanzania. The ten best entries were announced by the jury on Saturday, November 30.
Jury member Rupasinghe D. Pramudith said, “These captivating stories not only stand out as a testament to the undeniable power of English as a language spread across cultures, facing irreversible transformation from the ingenious languages of those who embrace it but also celebrate the essential role that tales play in sustaining mankind’s collective memory and consciousness.”
The longlist consists of;
- The Pregnant Ghost, Haliru Ali Musa (Nigeria)
- Ethiopian Night, Evanson Njuki (Kenya)
- A New Dawn, Mary Maina Njeri (Kenya)
- Mortuary, Ekenedirichukwu Anselm Alita (Nigeria)
- Call of the Sandy Tombs, Kaluwe Haangala (Zambia)
- That Last Kiss, Erick Kitheka (Kenya)
- Mama Tekla’s Sunset, J.E. Sibi-Okumu (Kenya)
- Harmony’s Echo, Maria Kegode (Kenya)
- Peace, Buhlebethu Sukoluhle Mpofu (USA/Zimbabwe)
- Beauty’s in a Mark, Kagira George (Kenya)
The shortlist will be announced in December before the winner is made public early in 2025. The winner will receive a Kshs 100,000 cash prize and an online marketing campaign worth another Kshs 100,000; sponsored by IT firm Websoft Interactive.
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