The Gemspread Publishing has announced Ikechukwu Henry(Nigeria) as the winner of the 2025 Ma Kękę Short Story Contest × The Ama Ata Aidoo Award for his entry, ‘The Archives of Forgotten Names’.
Organized in partnership with the Pan-African Writers Association (PAWA) and the African University of Communication and Business (AUCB), the contest seeks to amplify the voices of emerging African writers. It encourages exploration of themes rooted in African culture, history, and societal dynamics while showcasing creativity on a global stage.
Following the recent shortlist announcement of five finalists, Henry was unveiled as the overall winner during the award ceremony held in Ghana. His prize includes support for developing a book proposal.
Ikechukwu Henry is a Nigerian fiction writer whose work explores environmental and climate crises, mental health, queerness, family dynamics, and speculative otherworldliness. His stories, such as ‘Metamorphosis’, ‘Dance of Deaths’, and ‘Pebbles of Feeling’, have appeared in Brittle Paper, The Kalahari Review, Spillwords, Lothlorien Poetry Journal, Ta Adesa, Words Rhymes & Rhythm, and The AfterPast Review. He has earned multiple recognitions, including first runner-up in the RoNovella Writing Contest (2022), winner of the Tenacious Writer’s Award (2022), and a longlisting for the SEVHAGE Prize for Short Fiction (2023).
Beyond writing, Henry runs the Substack Whisper and Worlds, where he reflects on arts, psychology, and speculative fiction, affirming his place as one of Africa’s promising literary voices.
Congratulations, Ikechukwu Henry!
Sarah Adeyemo
Sarah Adeyemo, SWAN IX, is a Nigerian poet, writer, editor, spoken word artiste and communication expert. The debut author of “The Shape of Silence”. She draws inspiration from solitude and experiences. She is a fellow of the SprinNG Writing Fellowship. Her works appeared or are forthcoming in The Shallow Tales Review, The Muse Journal, The Weganda Review, Everscribe Magazine, Afrillhill Press, Poems For Persons Interest, TV-63 Magazine, Northern Writers Forum Journal, Eboquills, Rinna Lit. Anthologies, and elsewhere. She's a member of the Swan Collective. She tweets @SarahInkspires.
