Tuzo Nyerere 2025 winners were announced in a ceremony in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on Monday, April 14, 2025.
Tuzo ya Taifa ya Mwalimu Nyerere ya Uandishi Bunifu (English: Mwalimu Nyerere National Award for Creative Writing) or simply Tuzo Nyerere (The Nyerere Prize) is a national literary award that recognizes and supports creative writing in Tanzania, covering genres like fiction, poetry, children’s stories, and plays. It is one of the leading literary awards for African languages, as entries are sought in Kiswahili by the Tanzanian government under its Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology. The winners receive cash prizes and have their winning manuscripts reviewed and published by a credible publisher at the government’s expense. It is named in honour of the East African nation’s founding president, Julius Nyerere, who ruled the country from 1964 to 1985. Previous winners have been Hamis Hussein Kibari and Amri Rajab Abdallah (2023) and Mohamed Omar Juma, Laura Pettie Kisswaka, and Blandina Isabela Lucas (2024).
The 2025 edition jury, chaired by Prof. Penina Mlama announced the ten finalists in the four categories of fiction (long form), poetry, short story, and children’s literature on April 8. From these finalists, winners would each receive 10 million Tanzanian shillings, a shield, a certificate, and their manuscripts would be published by the government and distributed to schools and national libraries. Those who came second would receive 7 million Tanzanian shillings and a certificate, while those in third receive 5 million shillings and a certificate. The rest of the 4th to 10th place winners would receive a certificate only.
The winners were revealed at a ceremony attended by Ministry of Education staff and the guest of honour, the Minister of Works, Abdallah Ulega, who attended on behalf of the Vice President of Tanzania, Philip Mpango.
The winners of the awards are;
Fiction
- Jeneza la Taifa, Maundu Mwingizi
Poetry
- Diwani ya Urathi wa Mjumu, Hussein Kondo Abdallah
Children’s Literature
- Maziwa Ya Kuku, Tune Shaaban Salim
Short story
- Alama ya Kuzaliwa, Tyatawelu Emmanuel Kingu
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