It is the pleasure of the Journal of African Youth Literature (JAY Lit) to recognise excellence, and to honour the finest voices published in our journal. Every calendar year, from 2024, the JAY Lit Prizes will award overall winners in three categories—“JAY Lit Prize for Poetry”, “JAY Lit Prize for Fiction”, and “JAY Lit Prize for Non-Fiction”.

The Awards are judged in three tiers.

The overall winners are selected from the shortlists by Tier 1 judges, external guest judges who are reputable names and voices in all three award categories. For the inaugural JAY Lit Awards (2024), these tier 1 judges are S. Su’eddie Vershima Agema (Poetry), Makena Onjerika (Fiction), and Mubanga Kalimamukwento (Non-Fiction).

The shortlists are selected by tier 2 judges who whittle down individual longlists in their respective categories. The tier 2 judges are made up of JAY Lit category editors: Gabriel Awuah Mainoo (poetry), Deborah Oluniran-Adeniyi (Fiction), and Iruoma Chukwemeka (Non-Fiction). Candidates who make it to the shortlists in all three categories will also automatically win the “JAY Lit Editor’s Choice Commendation”.

The longlists are determined by tier 3 judges made up JAY Lit peer reviewers and guest editors. These judges nominate the best stories they read from any of the issues published in a calendar year. For the 2024 Awards, these judges are our peer reviewers, namley Tobi Ojenike, Aishat Adesanya, Bongiwe T. Maphosa, Anna Samwell, and Nneamaka Onochie, as well as JAY Lit Issue 8 guest editors, Martha Khoeses and Kaushar Edoo.

The shortlists will be announced on 18th December 2024, and the eventual winners will be made known ten days after on 28th December 2024.

Overall winners will share from a modest pool of prize money. All shortlistees will receive books and other rewards.