The 2025 Diverse Book Awards longlist has been revealed, spotlighting several African and authors across Picture Books, Children’s, Young Adult, and Adult fiction categories.
The Diverse Book Awards highlight and celebrate outstanding books from the UK and Ireland that feature diverse characters and voices, aiming to promote inclusivity and representation in literature. Established in 2019 by Abiola Bello and Helen Lewis, the awards recognize excellence in picture books, children’s books, young adult fiction, and adult fiction.
The Africans on this year’s Diverse Book Awards longlist are:
Picture Books
- Strong Like Me by Kelechi Okafor
Children’s
- Mayowa and the Sea of Words by Chibundu Onuzo (Nigerian)
Young Adult
- Where Sleeping Girls Lie by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé
Adult Fiction
- Allow Me to Introduce Myself by Onyi Nwabineli
- Rinsing Mũkami’s Soul by Njambi McGrath (Kenyan)
- Yorùbá Boy Running by Biyi Bándélé
The shortlist will be revealed on 8 September 2025, followed by the Readers’ Choice voting and an awards ceremony in October.
Congratulations to all longlisted authors!
Bakare Oluwatobiloba
I write to educate, motivate and define history with literature. Just being me!
