The Caine Prize receives 147 submissions

The Caine Prize for African Writing has received 147 short story submissions from 20 African countries. Now in its thirteenth year, this year’s entries include a diversity of stories, with representation from writers representing North, East, Southern and West African countries. The 2018 judges, who were announced at the end of last year, will meet […]

The Caine Prize for African Writing has received 147 short story submissions from 20 African countries. Now in its thirteenth year, this year’s entries include a diversity of stories, with representation from writers representing North, East, Southern and West African countries.

The 2018 judges, who were announced at the end of last year, will meet in April to decide on the five shortlisted stories. Each shortlisted writer will be awarded £500, with the eventual winner awarded a £10,000 prize.

Commenting on the entries, Dr Delia Jarrett-Macauley, Chair of the Caine Prize, said: “As ever, it is encouraging that we continue to attract a large number of submissions from talented African writers. This year’s entries are particularly varied, and I am pleased to see such a wide range of countries represented on the list, including Egypt, Libya, The Republic of Congo, Uganda, Tanzania, Botswana and Cameroon. The judges will now have the enviable task of reading each submission to produce their shortlist.”

This year’s workshop, which will be the sixteenth, will be held in Rwanda and facilitated by Vimbai Shire. Caine Prize workshops are held in Africa for writers who have been shortlisted for the Caine Prize and other talented writers who have come to the Prize’s attention through the selection process. Each workshop consists of 12 writers from different African countries, who convene for ten days to read and discuss work in progress and to learn from two more experienced writers, who act as tutors or animateurs. Stories produced at the writers’ workshop are published in the Caine Prize Anthology and are submitted by New Internationalist to the competition in subsequent years.

The Caine Prize, awarded annually for African creative writing, is named after the late Sir Michael Caine, former Chairman of Booker plc and Chairman of the Booker Prize management committee for nearly 25 years.

The African winners of the Nobel Prize for Literature, Wole Soyinka and J M Coetzee, are Patrons of The Caine Prize. Baroness Nicholson of Winterbourne is President of the Council, Ben Okri OBE is Vice President, Dr Delia Jarrett-Macauley is the Chair, Adam Freudenheim is the Deputy Chairperson and Dr Lizzy Attree is the Director.

Last year’s the Caine Prize winner was Sudanese writer, Bushra al-Fadil.