South Africa’s Media24 Book Prizes 2019 shortlists announced.

The shortlists for South Africa’s Media24 Book Prizes 2019 were announced on May 13, 2019.

Media24 is the print media arm of the South African media company Naspers. The organisation owns several publishers in its portfolio of investments like Jonathan Ball Publishers as well as NB Publishers which has the imprints Human & Rousseau, Tafelberg, Kwela Books and Queillerie.

Media 24 has been organising annual awards to recognise the best work published in their stable of book publishers. The awards are usually given in the categories of English Fiction, Afrikaans Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Youth Novels, and Illustrated Children’s Books.

For this year’s edition of the prize independent judging panels compiled the shortlists from 80 submissions. The shortlists consist of three titles each, apart from the Elisabeth Eybers Poetry Prize where two titles qualified. The shortlists are:

Herman Charles Bosman Prize for English Fiction (novels, short stories, drama).

• The Ones with Purpose by Nozizwe Jele Cynthia (Kwela Books).
• Soweto, Under the Apricot Tree by Niq Mhlongo (Kwela Books).
• The Hum of the Sun by Kirsten Miller (Kwela Books)

Recht Malan Prize for Nonfiction

• The Last Words of Rowan du Preez by Simone Haysom (Jonathan Ball Publishers)
• Steinheist by Rob Rose (Tafelberg).
• Wit issie ’n colour nie by Nathan Trantraal (Kwela Books)

WA Hofmeyr Prize for Afrikaans Fiction (novels, short stories, drama).

• Die Dao van Daan van der Walt by Lodewyk G. du Plessis (Tafelberg).
• Die ongelooflike onskuld van Dirkie Verwey by Charl-Pierre Naudé (Tafelberg).
• Die troebel tyd by Ingrid Winterbach (Human & Rousseau).

Elisabeth Eybers Prize for Poetry.

• The History of Intimacy by Gabeba Baderoon (Kwela Books)
• Asof geen berge ooit hier gewoon het nie by Pieter Odendaal (Tafelberg)

MER Prize for Youth Novels.

• The Reject by Edyth Bulbring (Tafelberg).
• Kraak by Rouxnette Meiring (Tafelberg).
• Mine by Sally-Ann Partridge (Human & Rousseau).

MER Prize for Illustrated Children’s Books

• Stories vir pikkies en peuters by Gertie Smit, illustrated by Samantha van Riet, Tumi K. Steyn, Tasia Rosser and Melany Pietersen (Tafelberg).
• Bennie Boekwurm se mooiste sprokies by Louise Smit, illustrated by Johann Strauss (Human & Rousseau).
• Die legendariese Lua Verwey by Dihanna Taute, illustrated by Theodore Key (Human & Rousseau).

The winner in each category receives R35 000. The MER Prize for Illustrated Children’s Books is shared by the author and illustrator(s) of the winning title. The awards ceremony will be held in Cape Town, South Africa on Thursday, June 13, 2019.