The longlists for the Jhalak Prize 2023 in the adult as well as the Children and YA (Young Adult) categories were announced on March 15, 2023.
The Jhalak Prize for Book of the Year by a Writer of Colour is an annual literary prize awarded to British or British-resident BAME (Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic) writers was created by writers Sunny Singh and Nikesh Shukla as well as Media Diversified in 2016. Previous winners have been Jacob Ross, Reni Eddo-Lodge, Guy Gunaratne, Johny Pitts, Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi and Patrice Lawrence.
For 2023, the judging panel in the adult fiction section comprises novelist and short story writer Haleh Agar, writer of poetry and non-fiction Anthony Vahni Capildeo, as well as author and journalist Monisha Rajesh. The Children’s and YA jury comprises award-winning documentary filmmaker and writer Yaba Badoe, children’s author Maisie Chan, as well as the award-winning author of novels, short stories, poetry, and plays Irfan Master.
The longlists for this year were announced on Wednesday with the following writers of African descent making the cut;
Adult
- None of the Above, Travis Alabanza (Canongate)
- The Attic Child, Lola Jaye (Pan Books)
- The Secret Diaries of Charles Ignatius Sancho, Paterson Joseph (Dialogue)
- When We Were Birds, Ayanna Lloyd Banwo (Hamish Hamilton)
- Here Again Now, Okechukwu Nzelu (Dialogue)
- The Room Between Us, Denise Saul (Liverpool University Press)
- Losing the Plot, Derek Owusu (Canongate)
Young Adult and Children’s literature
- In Our Hands, Lucy Farfort (Tate)
- Creeping Beauty, Joseph Coelho, ill. Freya Hartas (Walker Books)
- Needle, Patrice Lawrence (Barrington Stoke)
- Mia And The Lightcasters, Janelle McCurdy, ill. Ana Latese (Faber)
- Onyeka And The Academy Of The Sun, Tolá Okogwu (Simon & Schuster)
Responses
Travis Alabanza, “Means so much that my book None of the Above is on the long list for the @jhalakprize 🥰❤️🔥😍”
Lola Jaye, “The book I wanted to write, my labour of love; The Attic Child has made the longlist for The Jhalak Prize 2023!! Oh my days! Genuinely humbled, thankful and energized with this news! 🌟”
Paterson Joseph, “🌟Wowsers! Thank you, Monisha, and all the judges for including me on such a shiny list.🌟 #DialogueBooks #TSDOCIS #IgnatiusSancho #JhalakPrize23”
Ayanna Lloyd Banwo, “The good news keeps coming! Thank you @jhalakprize 🎉”
Okechukwu Nzelu, “This is so fantastic. Thank you so much for the @jhalakprize judges for putting Here Again Now on the longlist alongside so many fantastic writers. What an honour.”
Denise Saul, “Thrilled to be on the amazing @jhalakprize long list. Congrats to fellow writers. Thanks judges #JhalakPrize23 ✨✨”
Derek Owusu, “So great to see Losing the Plot long-listed for the Jhalak Prize! An important Prize and a great longlist. Happy to see my bro @NzeluWrites 🥰”
Patrice Lawrence, “Thank u @jhalakprize for longlisting #Needle, & even more for everything you’re doing to promote UK children’s writers of colour. Your work is really appreciated; I know how hard you’ve battled for this prize.”
Lucy Farfort, “Yippee!! Beyond excited to share this announcement. In Our Hands has been longlisted for the @jhalakprize 😃 To have my book sitting amongst such a fantastic line up is a real dream. Thanks so much to the Jhalak judges for picking In Our Hands. I’m blown away!”
Janelle McCurdy, “Honestly when I heard this news I was close to tears. It’s truly an honour that MIA AND THE LIGHTCASTERS has been longlisted in this AMAZING prize. Thank you so much to the @jhalakprize judges! I can’t believe my book is in such a stunning line up! @FaberChildrens @AnaLatese”
Tolá Okogwu, “So thrilled that Onyeka and the Academy of the Sun has been long-listed for the Jhalak Children’s & Young Adult Prize. Especially with this truly epic selection of books. 🎉🥳🤩 @simonkids_UK #JhalakPrize23”
The winner of the prize will be announced on May 25.
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