The African Authors Recognition Awards (AARA) is now receiving entries for its 2026 second edition.
Founded in 2025 by Victoria Haihambo (Namibia) and Marcia Chavunduka (Zimbabwe), AARA is a continental literary initiative dedicated to recognising, celebrating, and promoting African authors, storytellers, publishers, literary organisations, and contributors to the growth of literature across Africa and the diaspora.
Award Categories:
- Fiction: Novels, short stories, romance, drama, fantasy, and other imagined narratives.
- Non-Fiction: Books based on facts, real-life experiences, research, business, history, memoirs, biographies, or educational content.
- Children’s Literature: Books written for children and young readers.
- Inspirational/Motivational: Books focused on personal growth, empowerment, faith, resilience, healing, or transformation.
- Debut Author: For authors submitting their first published book.
- Poetry: Poetry collections and poetic works.
- Global Author: Open to authors from outside Africa.
To apply, click here:
Submission deadline: 31 July 2026.
The Awards ceremony is scheduled for 31 October 2026 in Windhoek, Namibia.
Best of luck to all applicants!
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.
