The shortlists for the University of Johannesburg Prizes for South African Writing in English 2024 were announced on Friday, August 30, 2024.
The University of Johannesburg Prize for South African Writing in English, also known as the UJ Prize, was instituted in 2006. It comprises a main prize and a debut prize, given annually for “the best original creative work in English published in the previous calendar year” not linked to a specific genre. They are judged by a panel of four members of the Department of English at the University of Johannesburg, two academics from other universities, and one member of the media or publishing industry. Some of the previous winners have been Nthikeng Mohlele and Mohale Mashigo; Gabeba Baderoon and Mphuthumi Ntabeni; Jacob Dlamini, Jamil F Khan and Rešoketšwe Manenzhe; and Mandla Langa, A’Eysha Kassiem and Lisa-Anne Julien.
The shortlists for 2024 have been announced with the judges particularly impressed by the high quality of the entries, especially from the first-time authors. After an intensive adjudication process, the judges have shortlisted the following books in their respective categories:
Debut Prize
- A Soft Landing (novel), Wisani Mushwana
- Guerrillas and Combative Mothers (non-fiction), Siphokazi Magadla
- The Institute for Creative Dying (novel), Jarred Thompson
Main Prize
- Breasts, etc. (novel), Nthikeng Mohlele
- Paperless (novel), Buntu Siwisa
- Three Egg Dilemma (novel), Morabo Morojele
The final results with R70,000 for the main prize and R35,000 for the debut prize will be announced before the end of September 2024.
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