The AKO Caine Prize for African Writing, an annual award given to an African writer for a short story published in English, has announced the shortlist for 2022.
The organisers say in a statement that this yearโs edition saw a 130% increase in submissions from writers across the globe.
The five shortlisted writers, it adds, were selected from a total of 349 entries from 27 African countries by a judging panel comprising Nigerian author and award-winning journalist Okey Ndibe (Chair); French-Guinean author and literary scholar Elisa Diallo; South African podcast host and literary practitioner Letlhogonolo Mokgoroane; London-based Nigerian visual artist รsรฌkรฒ Okelarin; Kenyan Book Bunk co-founder Angela Wachuka.
The five shortlisted writers for the 2022 AKO Caine Prize for African Writing are: Joshua Chizoma (Nigeria) for โCollector of Memoriesโ, Nana-Ama Danquah (Ghana) for โWhen a Man Loves a Womanโ, Hannah Giorgis (Ethiopia) for โA Double-Edged Inheritanceโ, Idza Luhumyo (Kenya) for โFive Years Next Sundayโ, and Billie McTernan (Ghana) for โThe Labadi Sunshine Barโ.
Okey Ndibe, Chair of Judges, says of the shortlist: โThe 2022 entries represented a staggering feast. It was a testament to the vibrancy, variety and splendour of creative talent among writers of African descent.โ
Each writer shortlisted for the AKO Caine Prize receives ยฃ500; the winner will receive a ยฃ10,000 prize. If a work in translation is chosen as the winning story, the prize will be shared between the writer and the translator.
The winner will be announced at a ceremony, which coincides with the Africa Fashion exhibition – an exhibition which presents the irresistible creativity, ingenuity and unstoppable global impact of contemporary African fashions, held at the V&A in London on Monday 18th July 2022.