Short Story Day Africa Prize 2016 longlist announced

Our good friends who run the Short Story Day Africa Prize have announced their longlist 2016. The twenty writers will have their stories judged by Sindiwe Magona, H.J. Golakai and Tendai Huchu.

The Short Story Day Prize has quickly established itself in the African writing world with the quality of writers and the anthologies that follow after prize is announced. Previous winners of the prize include Cat Hellisen, Diane Awerbuck, and Okwiri Oduor.

This year’s prize theme was Migrations and the longlist was selected during two rounds of reading. The first round of blind reading was by volunteers across Africa. The second round was selected by the members of the Short Story Day team, Nick Mulgrew, Karina Szczurek and Rachel Zadok, one of the Migrations editors, Efemia Chela, and the 2015 winner, Cat Hellisen.

This year’s winners go home with first prize R10 000, Second prize: R2 000 and third prize: R1 000. Three promising emerging writers will win a 20 Week Online Writing Course from All About Writing

The longlist features short story writers from across the continent from mainly English speaking countries with shortlists from South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, The Gambia, Cameroun, Botswana, Egypt, and Zimbabwe. While many of the names are new, some aren’t unfamiliar to observers of African writing. Karen Jennings for instance was on the shortlist for the inaugural Etisalat Prize for her debut novel Finding Soutbek as well as a Mile Morland Scholar last year. Mary Ononokpono was a winner of the Golden Baobab Prize in 2014. The longlist without further ado is;

1. Aba Asibon (Ghana)
2. Anne Moraa (Kenya)
3. Arja Salafranca  (South Africa)
4. Blaize Kaye (South Africa)
5. Edwin Okolo (Nigeria)
6. Francis Aubee (The Gambia)
7. Fred Khumalo (South Africa)
8. Gamu Chamisa (Zimbabwe)
9. Gratitude Fisher (South Africa)
10. Idza L (Kenya)
11. Karen Jennings (South Africa)
12. Lauri Kubuitsile (Botswana)
13. Mirette Bahgat Eskaros (Egypt)
14. Mignotte Mekuria (Ethiopia)
15. Mary Ononokpono (Nigeria/UK)
16. Megan Ross (South Africa)
17. Nyarsipi Odeph (Kenya)
18. Okafor Tochukwu (Nigeria)
19. Stacy Hardy (South Africa)
20. TJ Benson (Nigeria)
21. Umar Turaki (Nigeria)

Special Mentions

1. Caleb Somtochukwu Okereke (Nigeria)
2. Dzekashu MacViban (Cameroon)
3. Helen Walne (South Africa)
4. Kathryn White (South Africa)
5. Liam Kruger (South Africa)
6. Linda Daniels (South Africa)
7. Pamela Zintatu Ntshanga (South Africa)
8. ZP Dala (South Africa)

SSDA/All About Writing Development Prize winners

1. Pamela Zintatu Ntshanga (South Africa)
2. Rodney Gariseb (Nambia)
3. Derek Lubangakene (Uganda)