Caine Prize for African Writing Names 2026 Shortlist

The organizers of the Caine Prize for African Writing have announced the five finalists for the 2026 edition of the prestigious literary award. Selected from a pool of more than 400 submissions across the continent, the shortlisted authors represent Cameroon, Egypt, Kenya, Nigeria, and Zimbabwe.

The nominated pieces reflect a range of narrative forms, characterized by the organizers as moving, original, shocking, and quirky. The selected works include “The Last Shop” by Kenya’s Gladwell Pamba, published by Jahazi Press; “Dieu Merci” by Cameroonian author Melara Mvogdobo, published by Literatur.Review; and “So Long Now It’s Starting To Look Like Eternity” by Nigerian writer Akinwande Jordan, which appeared in the anthology A House That’s Not A Home.

Rounding out the selection are “The Absence of Stains” by Egyptian writer Yasmine Zohdi, published in The Republic, and “The Blue Fighter” by Zimbabwean author Simbarashe Kundizeza.

Anthology Publication and Award Ceremony

The eventual winner of the 2026 Caine Prize will receive a £10,000 cash prize during an awards ceremony in London this October. Following the ceremony, the recipient will also be honored with celebratory events in their home country.

In addition to the monetary prize, all five shortlisted pieces will be featured in the annual Caine Prize Anthology. The publication will also incorporate new literary work generated during this year’s Caine Prize Workshop, which took place in Tanzania.

For the African creative industries, established literary platforms such as the Caine Prize provide critical international visibility for continental storytellers. The elevation of diverse African writing also supports the wider cultural ecosystem, offering narrative intellectual property that increasingly intersects with screen, audio, and musical storytelling.

Source: Afrocritik