The Caine Prize for African Writing has announced the Best of Caine Award, a special one-off honour to mark the Prize’s 25th anniversary. Replacing the annual prize cycle for 2025, the award will recognize the best short story to have won the Caine Prize between 2000 and 2024.
Since its founding in 2000, the Caine Prize has celebrated African short fiction written in English, recognising over 120 writers through its shortlist and winners. The Prize awards £10,000 annually and is widely regarded as a key platform for emerging and established African literary voices.
For this anniversary edition, a panel of three judges will select the most outstanding short story from a list of past winners. The 25 authors and stories under consideration are:
- Leila Aboulela (Sudan) for “The Museum”
- Helon Habila (Nigeria) for “Love Poems”
- Binyavanga Wainaina (Kenya) for “Discovering Home”
- Yvonne Owuor (Kenya) for “Weight of Whispers”
- Brian Chikwava (Zimbabwe) for “Seventh Street Alchemy”
- Segun Afolabi (Nigeria) for “Monday Morning”
- Mary Watson (South Africa) for “Jungfrau”
- Monica Arac de Nyeko (Uganda) for “Jambula Tree”
- Henrietta Rose-Innes (South Africa) for “Poison”
- EC Osondu (Nigeria) for “Waiting”
- Olufemi Terry (Sierra Leone) for “Stickfighting Days”
- NoViolet Bulawayo (Zimbabwe) for “Hitting Budapest”
- Rotimi Babatunde (Nigeria) for “Bombay’s Republic”
- Tope Folarin (Nigeria) for “Miracle”
- Okwiri Oduor (Kenya) for “My Father’s Head”
- Namwali Serpell (Zambia) for “The Sack”
- Lidudumalingani (South Africa) for “Memories We Lost”
- Bushra al-Fadil (Sudan) for “The Story of the Girl whose Birds Flew Away”
- Makena Onjerika (Kenya) for “Fanta Blackcurrant”
- Lesley Nneka Arimah (Nigeria) for “Skinned”
- Irenosen Okojie (Nigeria) for “Grace Jones”
- Meron Hadero (Ethiopia) for “The Street Sweep”
- Idza Luhumyo (Kenya) for “Five Years Next Sunday”
- Mame Bougouma Diene and Woppa Diallo (Senegal) for “A Soul of Small Places”
- Nadia Davids (South Africa) for “Bridling”
In addition to the award, the Caine Prize will collaborate with partners to host online and in-person events across the African continent and the diaspora. These will spotlight past winners and their continued contributions to contemporary literature. Further details on the events and judging panel will be announced at a later date.
The Caine Prize for African Writing is awarded for a short story by an African writer published in English, typically between 3,000 and 10,000 words. Named after the late Sir Michael Caine, the Prize counts Nobel Laureates Wole Soyinka and J. M. Coetzee among its patrons. Ellah Wakatama OBE is Chair of the Prize.
The Caine Prize will return to its regular annual prize cycle in 2026.
Bakare Oluwatobiloba
I write to educate, motivate and define history with literature. Just being me!
