Journal of African Youth Literature Prizes 2024 longlists announced

The Journal of African Youth Literature Prizes 2024 longlists in poetry, fiction, and nonfiction were announced in Lagos, Nigeria on Wednesday, December 4, 2024.

The Journal of African Youth Literature (JAY Lit) publishes literature written by, about, and for born-in-Africa youths from 15 to 35 years old. They also have a news section where you can learn the latest happenings in the literary community, focusing on the younger writers producing work today.

The journal announced a new scheme, the JAY Lit Prize for Poetry, JAY Lit Prize for Fiction, and JAY Lit Prize for Nonfiction, to recognise excellence and to honour the finest voices they published in 2024 Wednesday. The work was looked at and whittled down by JAY Lit peer reviewers and guest editors Tobi Ojenike, Aishat Adesanya, Bongiwe T. Maphosa, Anna Samwell, Nneamaka Onochie, Martha Khoeses and Kaushar Edoo. The longlists consist of;

JAY Lit Prize for Poetry

• The Architecture of Happiness, Faith Brown (Issue 6)
• Lessons of Luck to an African Child, Damian Carlton (Issue 6)
• iSango, Shuwa (Issue 6)
• Four Incantations for the Earth, Arikewusola Abdul Awal (Issue 7)
• State of Emergency, Timi Sanni (Issue 7)
• Oil on Canvas (2024), Aman Bibi Gray (Issue 7)
• Three Deaths, Salama Wainaina (Issue 8)
• A Kind of Strange People, Magdalene Agweven (Issue 8)
• A Concept, Lerise Johnson (Issue 8)
• Who We Are for the Sake of Our Mothers, Aisha A. Bolaji (Issue 8)

JAY Lit Prize for Fiction

• A Traveller’s Dilemma, Mohammed Babajide Mohammed (Issue 6)
• AMEN, Abiodun Awodele (Issue 6)
• RIP Revisited, by Jan Brümmer (Issue 6)
• Kesandu, Mustapha Enesi (Issue 7)
• On the Path of the Lighthouse, Adédoyin Àjàyí (Issue 7)
• One and the Same, Olamide Shobowale (Issue 7)
• Mother Theresa, Ekemini Pius (Issue 7)
• Welcome to Iya Mosun’s Midnight Club, Chidera Nwume (Issue 8)
• A Knock on the Door, Ndawedwa Denga Hanghuwo (Issue 8)
• Simmering, Slowly, Victor Ola-Matthew (Issue 8)

JAY Lit Prize for Nonfiction

• Ignorance is Brit, MaryAnn Ifeanacho (Issue 7)
• Now That You Are a Woman, Evidence Egwuono Adjarho (Issue 7)
• The Darkness That Devoured Dawn, Nwajesu Ekpenisi (Issue 8)
• The Palate, Frank Njugi (Issue 8)
• Dancing to the Rhythm of a Funeral, Great Opara (Issue 8)

These texts will be submitted to another jury of JAY Lit category editors Gabriel Awuah Mainoo (poetry), Deborah Oluniran-Adeniyi (fiction), and Iruoma Chukwuemeka (nonfiction), who will announce a shortlist on December 18. The shortlist will then be put forward to a final jury of S. Su’eddie Vershima Agema (Poetry), Makena Onjerika (Fiction), and Mubanga Kalimamukwento (nonfiction), who will reveal a winner on December 28.

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