Sheilla Aisha Nelson is Kofi Awoonor Literary Prize 2018 winner.

The Kofi Awoonor Literary Prize 2018 winner is Sheilla Aisha Nelson. Ruby Yayra Goka and Elizabeth O. Johnson are the first runner up and the second runner up consecutively.

The Kofi Awoonor Literary Prize was established in honour of Ghanaian poet, writer and academic Prof Kofi Awoonor who passed away tragically while attending a literary festival in Kenya. The award is organised by the University Of Ghana Department Of English, under the sponsorship of the Kofi Awoonor Family, Friends and Chief Dele Momodu of Ovation International magazine.

The biennial competition alternates between significant collections of Poetry, Prose and Essay, the three literary genres in which Prof Awoonor distinguished himself. The first edition which focused on poetry in 2016 was won by Agyei Sarpong Amos, who writes under the pen name Sarpong Kumankoma.

The 2018 edition of the prize was dedicated to Prose Fiction with each participant required to submit four copies of a full-length Novel or Collection of Short Stories. The winner of the prize has emerged and it is Sheilla Aisha Nelson who goes home with the 5,000 cedis prize money. Coming in second is Ruby Yayra Goka with the 1,000 cedis and Elizabeth O. Johnson with the 500 cedis prize money.