Nigerian contends literary prize with South Africans

The award, which is in its second edition, was initiated by Etisalat Nigeria in 2013 to celebrate young, first-time African writers of published fiction and to promote the reading culture in Africa. It also aims to serve as a platform for the discovery of new creative African talent and support the literary industry on the […]

The award, which is in its second edition, was initiated by Etisalat Nigeria in 2013 to celebrate young, first-time African writers of published fiction and to promote the reading culture in Africa. It also aims to serve as a platform for the discovery of new creative African talent and support the literary industry on the continent.
The winner will receive a prize of N4, 494, 675 (£15,000) as well as a high-end device, in addition to a book tour to three African cities. The winning writer will also embark on the Etisalat Fellowship at the University of East Anglia, which will afford them significant opportunities to network with other writers and publishers and time and resources to work on their second book. The two runners-up will also win a book tour and Etisalat will purchase 1,000 copies of all three books for distribution across the continent.
The winner of the award’s maiden edition, Zimbabwean NoViolet Bulawayo, author of ‘We Need New Names,’ is now a Stegner Fellow at Stanford University.
Winner of this edition will be announced at the grand finale, tonight with performances from the Nigerian Idol Season 4 winner, Evelle and two time Grammy award winner, Angelique Kidjo.