Nigerian writer Samuel Kọ́láwọlé has been revealed as one of the winners of the 2025 Whiting Awards in Fiction, making him the only African recipient in this year’s cohort.
Founded in 1985, the Whiting Awards are presented annually by the Whiting Foundation to ten emerging writers in fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and drama. The awards aim to recognize early-career writers who exhibit exceptional talent and promise. Previous recipients include literary figures such as Colson Whitehead, Ocean Vuong, and Lydia Davis.
Praised for its structure and emotional depth, The Whiting Foundation describes Kọ́láwọlé’s writing as one that “dances back and forth across the borders of genre to craft a propulsive and humane” experience for readers.
He joins a distinguished group of 2025 winners that includes Emil Ferris (fiction), Karisma Price (poetry), Aisha Sabatini Sloan (nonfiction), and Liza Birkenmeier (drama), among others.
Samuel Kọ́láwọlé was born and raised in Ibadan, Nigeria. His debut novel, The Road to the Salt Sea, has received critical acclaim, earning a place as a finalist for the International Book Awards. It was longlisted for the 2025 Aspen Words Literary Prize and currently remains on the longlist for the 2025 PEN/Hemingway Award for Debut Novel.
His literary career has also been recognized with several honors, including finalist nods for the Caine Prize for African Writing, the Graywolf Press African Fiction Prize, and the UK’s First Novel Prize.
Kọ́láwọlé studied at the University of Ibadan and later earned a Master of Arts in Creative Writing with distinction from Rhodes University, South Africa. He is a graduate of the MFA in Writing and Publishing program at Vermont College of Fine Arts and holds a PhD in English and Creative Writing from Georgia State University.
He currently teaches fiction writing as an Assistant Professor of English and African Studies at Pennsylvania State University.
Congratulations Samuel Kọ́láwọlé!
Bakare Oluwatobiloba
I write to educate, motivate and define history with literature. Just being me!
