Doek! Literary Magazine has released the shortlist for the 2025 Bank Windhoek Doek Literary Awards, celebrating Namibian writers, poets, and visual artists whose works were featured in the magazine between 2023 and 2025.
Now in its third year, the biennial award honours excellence in fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and visual art published in Doek!, Namibia’s first and only literary magazine. The 2025 panel of judges—Ndawedwa Denga Hanghuwo, Samuel Mayinoti, Sylvia Schlettwein, and Michelle Van Wyk selected works that capture the best of Namibian writing and visual art, showcasing the power and depth of storytelling from the country.
Fiction
- Hugh Ellis – Flesh of the Sun (Issue 15, July 2025)
- Katherine Hunter – What the Sycamores Saw (Issue 15, July 2024)
- Jeremy Tiboth – Poisoned Pawn (Issue 14, December 2024)
Non-fiction
- Filemon Iiyambo – Sonic Overload: Auralgraph From Cairo (Issue 15: August, 2025)
- Perivi Katjivivi – I’ll Tell You Why I Was Late For Church Yesterday: Auralgraph From Gobabis, 1965 (Issue 14: December, 2024)
Poetry
- Jedidja Kakuva – In The Shadow Of Reflection, Man Enough, and When I Wake Up (Issue 15, August 2025)
- Vekondjisa Nosipho Katusuva – Aminus: Pos 11, Identity, and I Have Not Yet Learned To Swim (Issue 15, August 2025)
- Johannes Shikongo – The Algorithm Of Fading Fathers, The Ombindu That Remains Of Us, and The Oshikundu That Never Fermented (Issue 15, August 2025)
Visual Art
- Luigi Arnat: Solitude (Issue 12: December, 2023)
- Natache Sylvia Ilonga: Kasino Street (Issue 12: December, 2023)
- Omen Keisho: Your Wings From The Back (Issue 15: August, 2025)
Founded in 2019, Doek! Magazine is Namibia’s first literary magazine. It is dedicated to fostering a vibrant literary culture by publishing short fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and visual art from Namibia, Africa, and the African diaspora.
Congratulations to all the shortlisted writers and artists!
Sarah Adeyemo
Sarah Adeyemo is a poet, writer, editor, and spoken word artiste from Nigeria. She is a fellow of the SprinNG Writing Fellowship. Sarah has work published or forthcoming work in ANMLY Lit, D’Iit Review, The Fiery Scribe Review, Con-Scio Magazine, Sevhage Review, Okiti Literary, Synchronized Chaos Magazine, Pepper Coast Magazine, The Weeds Review, Akpata Magazine, The Shallow Tales Review, The Muse Journal, The Weganda Review, Everscribe Magazine, Afrillhill Press, TV-63 Magazine, Poems for Persons Interest, Northern Writers Forum Journal, Eboquills, Rinna Lit. Anthologies, and elsewhere. Her works have been shortlisted for the 2025 Labari Prize for Poetry and longlisted for the 2025 Eriata Oribhabor Poetry Prize. She serves as the Managing Editor at Words-Empire Magazine, a Poetry Editor at Yarnz Magazine, PFPOI, and a News & Feature writer at the Journal of African Youth Literature (JAY Lit). She was a writing resident of the Rongo Artist Residency in 2026 and is currently a writing resident at the Ebedi International Writers Residency. She is a member of The Swan Collective. A dramatic poet who tweets @sarahinkspires.
