Nigerian writer Ope Adedeji has been shortlisted for the 2026 4thWrite Prize, joining five other writers in the competition’s 10th-anniversary shortlist. Adedeji was selected for “Omugwo,” a story about a woman who believes her newborn granddaughter is the reincarnation of her sister, which judge Ella Creamer described as a moving exploration of grief and mother-daughter relationships. The other shortlisted writers are Clementine Wolodarsky for “I Only Mug Girls,” Darren Chan for “Love Bite,” Meher Iqbal for “Darkroom,” Diya Nair for “Minty Fresh,” and Svetlana Chigozie Onye for “London 2060.”

The six stories range from an unlikely friendship between a Gail’s employee and a divorcee to a teenage coming-of-age story, an office relationship and a dystopian future London marked by drought and water rationing. Judge Gurnaik Johal, himself a former 4thWrite shortlisted writer, said this year’s stories were “affecting in new and surprising ways,” while judge Chanté Joseph praised the shortlist for its distinct voices and its ability to create “a whole world in a few pages.” The prize is run by 4th Estate and the Guardian for unpublished writers of colour aged 18 and over living in the UK or Ireland.

The winner will receive £1,000, a one-day publishing workshop with 4th Estate and publication of their story on the Guardian website. Now in its tenth year, the prize has become a route into publishing for several writers who later released books, including Bolu Babalola, Guy Gunaratne, Kasim Ali, Gurnaik Johal and Kit Fan. Last year’s winner was Piyumi Kapugeekiyana for “The Original Is Not Here,” while previous winners include Yan F Zhang and Tian Yi, underscoring the prize’s growing place in the discovery of new literary voices.

Author