Island Prize 2023 longlist announced

The longlist for the Island Prize 2023 was announced on Monday, March 20, 2023.

The Island Prize for a Debut Novel from Africa is a prize from Holland House Books (UK), Karavan Press (SA) as well as Booker Prize longlistee Karen Jennings. It is aimed at giving writers from Africa (or the diaspora) a chance to showcase their work to a wider audience, with the possibility of feedback, mentoring, meeting with a potential agent, and publication (both in the UK and South Africa).

This year’s judges panel features author and founder of The Island Prize Karen Jennings, author Rachel Edwards, and The Island Prize 2022 runner-up Hamza Koudri. Submissions came from all over the continent, including Tunisia, Egypt, Algeria, Tanzania, Uganda, Sudan, Mauritius, Zambia, Ethiopia, Somalia, and Ghana.

The longlist for this year’s award was announced on Monday with the team saying, the “quality of this year’s submissions were incredibly strong, flooding in from across the entire continent.”

The longlist comprises the following work;

• Bobo Hamham, Aganaba, Jesudubami Jemima (Nigeria)
• The Becoming-Nothing of Bodies, Olubunmi Familoni (Nigeria)
• A Mouth Full of Salt, Reem Gaafar (Sudan)
• No Poison, No Paradise, Nzeru Aquilar Nsaí (South Africa)
• Braids and Migraines, Andile Cele MaShandu (South Africa)
• Choosing an Outfit for the End of the World, Robyn Perros (South Africa)
• Carrying a Country on Your Forehead, Tanaka Chidora (Zimbabwe)
• Night’s Last Secrets, Felix Otis (Kenya)
• Captured, Immaculate Halla (Tanzania)

The shortlist and winner will be announced later in the year.