2026 African Writers Awards Announces Longlist Ahead of Kampala Conference
The 2026 African Writers Awards has announced its longlist, bringing together writers and young literary talents from across the continent in poetry, prose, short fiction and children’s literature. The selections span Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Senegal, Ethiopia and South Africa, with the awards covering the 5th African Teen Writers Awards in Poetry and Prose, the 9th edition of the African Writers Awards in Poetry and Short Story, the inaugural Na-La Mapambazuko Afrika Award, and the 7th Wakini Kuria Prize for Children’s Literature.
The 2026 African Writers Awards poetry longlist includes Nigerian writers such as Zimuzo Onah, Anthony Agbator, Pacella Chukwuma-Eke, Frances Okeke, Joseph Ikhe, Joshua Ejiroghene Koro and Wisdom Adediji, alongside writers from Uganda and Lesotho. The short story category features Nigerian writers including Busola Adebayo, Joy Eyisi, Charles Okon Edet, Abiola Abajo, Bill Nwonwu, Ummusalma Yahaya Isa, Chiemeziem Everest Udochukwu and Aniebiet Asuquo, as well as entries from Uganda and Rwanda. The associated prizes also recognise emerging teen writers and children’s literature from across the continent.
The shortlist is expected in the first week of October, with the winners to be announced at the 2026 African Writers Conference in Kampala, Uganda, running from October 25 to November 1. The conference will bring together writers, readers and literary practitioners to celebrate the year’s winners and the wider landscape of African literature. The longlist was selected by an international judging panel drawn from Tanzania, Rwanda, Nigeria, Ghana, Zimbabwe, Lesotho and Uganda, among other countries.
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