Nigerian writer Somto Ihezue has won the 2026 Perkoff Prize for Fiction for his story, “Di Nwanne’m.”
The annual Perkoff Prize, administered by Hippocampus Magazine, recognises outstanding writing in fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Ihezue was announced as the winner of the fiction category in the 2026 contest results, ahead of runner-up Isabel Torrence of Oakland, California, for “Stump.”
A writer, editor, and filmmaker, Ihezue’s works have appeared in Reactor, Clarkesworld, POETRY Magazine, Uncanny, Strange Horizons, NIGHTMARE, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Podcastle, Flash Fiction Online, and others.
His work has been shortlisted and nominated for the British Fantasy Award (Sydney J. Bounds Awards), the Nommo Awards, the Utopia Awards, the Pushcart Prize, and the British Science Fiction Award.
He has received residencies, scholarships, and grants from Tin House, Clarion West, Sundress, Milford SF, Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers Association, Horror Writers Association, and Arts for All. He is the assistant editor of the NEArts & SFWA-sponsored Publishing Taught Me Anthology, and co-editor of Will This Be A Problem: The Anthology.
Congratulations, Somto Ihezue!
