Nigerian writer Oghenechovwe Ekpeki has been shortlisted for the 2025 Santa Fe Writers Project (SFWP) Literary Awards for his novel, Birth of Orisha.
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.
He is the only African author on the shortlist announced as part of the programme’s 2025 awards cycle.
The shortlist follows the earlier release of the longlist, which included Birth of Orisha among the manuscripts selected from a large international pool of submissions. The work is a speculative-fiction manuscript and the first book in Ekpeki’s planned Orisha Cycle.
The Santa Fe Writers Project Literary Awards recognise unpublished manuscripts in fiction and creative nonfiction, supporting writers through an annual selection process that leads to final award decisions and publication opportunities.
Congratulations, Oghenechovwe Ekpeki!
