Top African Literary Prizes

Doing a little research on literary works from Africa, I came across many great writers and works that are simply genius! Indeed, our culture of storytelling and history keeping has metamorphosed from gathering by the moonlight for stories, sing-along songs and storied historical moments into what today can be simply described as art. Art that has commanded attention internationally and is marking Africa as a literary giant.

I find that African Literature resonates with a passion and quiet strength that is both entertaining and evocatively spell binding.

Thus, I thought I'd dedicate a post to a few of the bodies and organizations that have helped to recognize, support and encourage literary talent from Africa. In alphabetical order, the top prizes for African literature are:


The Caine Prize for African Writing

First awarded in 2000, the prize is open to writers from anywhere in Africa and for work published in English. It has received at one time, entries from 20 countries. It is awarded to a short story written by an African either in Africa or abroad.
The idea of the Caine prize was brought to life by friends and colleagues of late Sir Michael Caine, who was working on the idea of such a prize before he passed on.

Prize
The cash prize is £10,000.

Patrons
Patrons for this prize include; African winners of the Nobel Prize for Literature - Wole Soyinka, Nadine Gordimer and J M Coetzee. Also, Chinua Achebe, winner of the Man Booker International Prize and Ben Okri, Nigerian Winner of the Booker Prize.

Past Winners
2012 - Rotimi Babatunde (Nigeria) 'Bombay's Republic' from 'Mirabilia Review' Vol. 3,Lagos 2011.
2011 - NoViolet Bulawayo (Zimbabwe) 'Hitting Budapest' from 'The Boston Review' Vol 35/6 Dec 2010
2010 - Olufemi Terry (Sierra Leone) 'Stickfighting Days' from 'Chimurenga' vol 12/13.


Noma Award for Publishing in Africa

One of the Noma Prizes series, within four years of its establishment, it became the major book award in Africa. Established by Shoichi Noma who died in 1984, it was awarded annually to any new book published in the Juvenile, Literature or Scholarly category. Books in any language of Africa could be entered for the prize. It ran from 1980 - 2009 when the Noma family ceased their sponsorship.


Prize
The cash prize was $10,000.

Past Winners
2009 - 'Lawless and Other Stories' by Sefi Atta
2008 - 'Beginnings of a Dream' by Zachariah Rapola
2007 - 'Strife' by Shimmer Chinodya


Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature in Africa

Founded by The Lumina Foundation, it was first awarded in 2005 to Nobel Laureate in Literature, Wole Soyinka. The pan-African prize is awarded every two years to works of any genre or type, written in English or French and which have not won any other awards.

Prize
The cash prize is $20,000.

Past Winners
2012 - 'Young Blood' by Sisifo Mzobe
2010 - 'I Do Not Come To You By Chance' by Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani
         - 'Coconut' by Kopano Matlwa
         - 'Tenants of The House' by Wale Okediran
2008 - 'Zarah The Windseeker' by Nnedi Okorafor