Inaugural Evaristo Prize for African Poetry Short-List Announcement

The African Poetry Book Fund is thrilled to announce the short-list of the inaugural Evaristo Prize for African Poetry (formerly the Brunel International Prize for African Poetry).

Judges Gabeba Baderoon (Chair), Tjawangwa Dema, and Tsitsi Jaji have selected the following poets:

Drown or drought – Claudia Owusu (Ghana/USA)

Congo, seen from the heavens – Gracia Mwamba (Congo/USA)

Post massacre Psych Evaluation – Abu Bakr Sadiq (Nigeria)

Francis before Me – Sarpong Osei Asamoah (Ghana)

He Reads a Cancer Booklet – Feranmi Ariyo (Nigeria)

The Ghost of SX MPhil – Kanyinsola Olorunnisola (Nigeria)

“Showing an impressive range and scale, the manuscripts encompassed both rich verse narratives and tautly minimalist lines, homages to other poets and adept formal experimentation. It has been pleasurable and illuminating to read them,” the judging panel said.

The Evaristo Prize for African Poetry is an annual prize of USD $1,500 awarded to ten poems written by an African poet. Established first as the Brunel International African Poetry Prize (BIAPP) in 2012 by British writer Bernardine Evaristo, who founded and managed the prize for ten years, the Evaristo Prize was renamed and will now be administered by the African Poetry Book Fund in 2022.

President of the UK’s Royal Society of Literature and a celebrated writer, Bernardine Evaristo is an APBF Editorial Board Member; Professor of Creative Writing at Brunel University London; and the author of ten books of fiction, poetry, essays, drama, criticism, and journalism.

The African Poetry Book Fund looks forward to announcing the award winner in May 2023.