The new CANEX Prize for Publishing in Africa, a partnership between the CANEX Book Factory and the Narrative Landscape Press, seeks entries. The announcement was made on Wednesday, May 21, 2024.
African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) is a Pan-African multilateral financial institution mandated to finance, facilitate and promote intra and extra-African trade. Having recognized the relevance and opportunities in the creative and cultural industries, the bank unveiled the Creative Africa Nexus (CANEX) programme in 2020.
The unique program has unveiled the CANEX Book Factory to promote a vibrant literary culture across Global Africa and encourage the development of a sustainable business ecosystem in the literary sector. It should spotlight and elevate the African book value chain through a Pan-African writing workshop, an e-newsletter highlighting African literature, and a prize for publishing in Africa worth US$20,000. The prize will be awarded to the publisher of the best trade book. Trade books refer to books published for a general audience, including fiction, non-fiction, and poetry, and exclude textbooks and academic books. Additionally, four finalists will each receive US$ 2,000 in prize money. This will culminate in the award ceremony at the CANEX WKND to be held in Algiers, Algeria between October 16 – 19, 2024.
Kanayo Awani, Executive Vice President-Intra African Trade and Export Development Bank at Afreximbank said: “We are thrilled to announce the launch of The CANEX Prize for Publishing in Africa, a pioneering initiative by Afreximbank aimed at promoting and celebrating excellence in African publishing. This prize underscores our commitment to nurturing Africa’s creative industries and supporting the vibrant literary landscape across the continent. Through the CANEX Prize, we aim to recognize and empower African authors and publishers who play a vital role in shaping our cultural identity and enriching our communities through literature in what is a multi-billion-dollar industry.”
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie who will conduct the workshops said: “Imagine being an African, dreaming about being a writer, surrounded by people in a room who share the same interests, it propels you, it gives you hope. I’ve always believed that there is nothing more essential to the human spirit than hope. For me, CANEX is about hope – the hope of many more African stories.”
Submissions will be judged on writing, editing, and production quality. Priority will be given to books printed and produced on the African continent and books published in indigenous African languages. A key concession for the inaugural year (2024) is that books published in the preceding two years will be considered.
CANEX invites African publishers to submit published trade books for the inaugural CANEX Prize for Publishing in Africa. To submit your entry, please visit https://canex.africa/canex-book-factory.
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