Nigerian speculative-fiction author Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki, Bronx-born fiction writer Kem Joy Ukwu, and JAY Lit contributor MaryAnn Ifeanacho have been named to the longlist of the 2025 Santa Fe Writers Project (SFWP) Literary Awards.
The announcement, part of the programme’s annual update, received nearly 1,700 entries this year and recognises works across fiction and creative nonfiction.
The following African writers were longlisted for the 2025 SFWP Literary Awards:
- Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki (longlisted for Birth of Orisha, the first book in his forthcoming Orisha Cycle trilogy):
An award-winning Nigerian speculative fiction author, editor, and publisher, Ekpeki began his career in 2018 and has won multiple prestigious honours, including the Nebula Award, World Fantasy Award, British Fantasy Award, Otherwise Award, and the Nommo Award, making him a notable figure in African and speculative fiction.
His fiction, essays, and editorial work frequently engage with themes of class, inequality, colonisation, decolonisation, and African spirituality. Ekpeki also coined the term “Afropantheology” to describe speculative fiction rooted in African spiritual frameworks.
His work has appeared in magazines such as Asimov’s, Tor.com, Galaxy’s Edge, and Uncanny Magazine, and he edits The Year’s Best African Speculative Fiction anthology series.
- Kem Joy Ukwu (longlisted for Power Out):
Kem Joy Ukwu is a Bronx-born writer whose fiction has appeared in literary journals including Blackberry: A Magazine, Carve Magazine, Tinge Magazine, Blue Lake Review, PANK, and Jabberwock Review. In addition to her short fiction, her TV pilot screenplay, Power Out, won the Grand Prize of the 2025 Mystic Film Festival’s 60 Minute Teleplay Competition and was an Official Selection of the 2023 Essence Film Festival, among other awards.
- MaryAnn Ifeanacho (longlisted for her novella An Estate of Ironies):
MaryAnn Ifeanacho is a Nigerian writer with a strong interest in languages, psychology, film, and literature. She holds an MA in Creative Writing, and her work has appeared in literary magazines such as African Writer Magazine, the Kalahari Review, JAY Lit, and Sevhage. Her novella An Estate of Ironies was a finalist for the 2024 WTAW Alcove Chapbook Competition and was shortlisted for publication in early 2025.
The Santa Fe Writers Project, founded in 1998, runs an international literary awards programme that awards a US$ 1,500 grand prize, with the winning manuscript considered for publication by the press.
Congratulations, Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki, Kem Joy Ukwu, and MaryAnn Ifeanacho!
