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Tag: Etisalat Prize for Literature

  • Etisalat Prize for Literature now 9mobile Prize for Literature

    Etisalat Prize for Literature now 9mobile Prize for Literature

    Following the successful launch of its new brand identity, Nigeria’s most innovative telecommunications company, 9mobile, has equally changed the name of its pan-African literary prize to 9mobile Prize for Literature.

    The management of the company affirms that the Prize will continue to underscore the unwavering commitment of the brand to the discovery and nurturing of talent.

    According to the Chief Executive Officer, 9mobile, Boye Olusanya, “9mobile, is proud to be at the forefront of promoting creativity and innovation among Nigerians and will continue to support the discovery and growth of home grown talents by creating platforms that help African writers to tell authentic African stories”,

    The company revealed that the call for entries for the 2018 edition of the Prize which was announced on July 3, 2017 remains open till September 18, 2017, after which the Judging Panel will screen the submitted entries to select the books that will make the longlist. The entries on the long list will go through a second round of screening in the selection process, and then the judges will announce a shortlist of three finalists ahead of the grand finale/award ceremony in 2018.

    The judges for the 2018 edition are Harry Garuba (Chair), Doreen Baingana and Siphiwo Mahala.

    To meet the entry criteria, books submitted must have been published 24 months prior to the date of the call for entries. Such books should contain no fewer than 30,000 words and must be the author’s first published fiction book. The author must be an African citizen, but may reside anywhere in the world.

    Also, all entries must be submitted by incorporated publishing houses that have existed for three years or more, with registered ISBN or the equivalent, and the publishers must have published a minimum of three authors. A publisher may enter a maximum of three titles. Seven copies of each title entered must accompany the application form, along with an acceptance of the publicity terms of the Prize.

    For more information, interested parties can visit the website literature.9mobile.com.ng or @9mobilereads on Twitter and Facebook.

    9mobile Prize for Literature is the first pan-African literary prize that celebrates debut African writers of published fiction. The winner receives £15,000, an engraved Montblanc Meisterstück pen, and a 9mobile-sponsored fellowship at the University of East Anglia, where he or she will be mentored by Professor Giles Foden, author of The Last King of Scotland‘.

    The winner and the two runners-up also participate in a multi-city book tour sponsored by 9mobile. 9mobile purchases 1,000 copies of each of the shortlisted titles for distribution to schools, libraries and book clubs across the African continent.

    Alongside the 9mobile Prize for Literature is the Flash Fiction Award, an online-based competition open to all African writers of unpublished short stories of no more than 300 words. The winner of the Flash Fiction Award receives £1,000 and a high-end device, while the two runners-up for the Flash Fiction Award receive £500 each in addition to high-end devices.

    The 2017 edition of the prestigious literary prize concluded on May 20, 2017 with an award ceremony in Lagos, where Nigerian writer, Jowhor Ile, emerged winner for his debut novel, And After Many Days. Ile is the first Nigerian to win the Prize which was launched in 2013.

  • Nigeria’s Ile wins £15,000 Etisalat Prize for Literature

    Nigeria’s Ile wins £15,000 Etisalat Prize for Literature

    Nigeria’s Jowhor Ile has won the 2016 Etisalat Prize for Literature. Ile’s first published novel, entitled: And After Many Days, beat Julie Iromuanya’s Mr and Mrs Doctor (Nigeria) and a South African Jacqui L’Ange The Seed Thief, to emerge winner for prize of first-time fiction writers of African origin.

    The authors were shortlisted after a longlist of nine names – six South African and three Nigerians by a three-member panel, including Nigeria’s multiple award-winning novelist Helon Habila (panel chairman and author of Oil on Water), South African writer/activist, Elinor Sisulu, and Ivorian writer and ‘Africa39’ laureate, Edwige Renée Dro.

    Ile is the first Nigerian to win the Etisalat Prize for Literature since its inception in 2013. Democratic Republic of Congo’s Fiston Mwanza Mujila, for his novel, Tram 83 won the first edition. South African writer Songeziwe Mahlangu for his novel, Penumbra won 2014 edition; while Zimbabwean NoViolet Bulawayo’s We Need New Names, won the 2015 edition.

    He went home with £15,000 prize money and an engraved Montblanc Meisterstück pen among several other rewards last Saturday at the award ceremony. For winning the prize, other rewards for Ile include an Etisalat-sponsored fellowship at the University of East Anglia where he will be mentored by Prof Giles Foden, author of The Last King of Scotland’.

    According to the judges, he and the two runners-up will participate in a multi-city book tour of three African countries also sponsored by Etisalat Nigeria. “Furthermore, Etisalat will purchase 1,000 copies of their books for distribution to schools, libraries and book clubs across Africa,” they said.

    Ile’s announcement followed the unanimous selection of his book by the judging panel chaired by multiple award-winning novelist and poet, Helon Habila.

    Habila, while congratulating the winner and the runners-up, disclosed that the prize-winning book met the required standards of originality, creative excellence and African sensibility, in keeping with the objective of the Etisalat Prize, which is to promote literary excellence in Africa.

    Chief Executive Officer, Etisalat Nigeria, Matthew Willsher, congratulated the winner and the runners-up, and restated the company’s commitment to continuously offer Nigerians and other Africans the best platforms to express their passion and creativity.

    ”From the outset, our vision at Etisalat has been to support innovation, creativity and talent development. This is why we have stayed focused on creating platforms that enable people, not only to communicate and stay in touch with one another, but also to express their individual creative abilities in all forms of science and arts”, he said.

    Born in 1980, and bred in the city of Port Harcourt, Ile took to writing early and has had his short stories published in McSweeney’s Quarterly and Litro Magazine.  His 256-page novel, And After Many Days, set in Port Harcourt in the oil-rich Niger Delta region, tells the story of a family whose 17-year- old son and sibling, Paul Utu, goes missing during the rainy season of 1995.

    Burdened with the sudden loss, the family gets torn apart, as their search for answers, uncovering several family secrets.

     

     

  • Shortlist for Etisalat Prize for Literature out

    Shortlist for Etisalat Prize for Literature out

    Etisalat Nigeria has announced the names of the three shortlisted authors for the 2016 edition of its pan-African flagship literary prize, the Etisalat Prize for Literature (https://Prize.Etisalat.com.ng).

    According to this year’s Chair of Judges, Helon Habila “In addition to originality of voice and literary excellence, our purpose was to also select a work that portrays an African sensibility“.

    The three shortlisted books are:

    • Jacqui L’Ange (South Africa) The Seed Thief (Umuzi Publishers, South Africa);
    • Jowhor Ile (Nigeria) And After Many Days (Kachifo Limited, Nigeria);
    • Julie Iromuanya (Nigeria) Mr & Mrs Doctor (Coffee House Press, USA).

    The authors were shortlisted by a three-member judging panel comprising Nigerian novelist and poet, Helon Habila (Chair of Judges); South African writer/activist, Elinor Sisulu; and Ivorian writer and Africa39 laureate, Edwige Renée Dro.

    The winner for the 2016 Etisalat Prize for Literature will be unveiled at the Grand Finale in Lagos, scheduled to take place in March 2017.

    Commenting on the success of the 2016 Etisalat Prize for Literature, Chief Executive Officer, Etisalat Nigeria, Matthew Willsher, commended the judges for their diligence in selecting the top three books out of the tens of titles that were received following the call for entry.

  • Nine Authors nominated for 2016 Etisalat Literature Prize

    Nine Authors nominated for 2016 Etisalat Literature Prize

    Nine authors, mostly first-time writers whose books were published in the past 24 months have been nominated for the 2016 Etisalat Prize for Literature.
    Helon Habila, chair of the judging panel of the panel, has announced the 2016 longlist of nine books.
    The longlisted books are Mr. and Mrs. Doctor by Julie Iromuanya (Coffee House Press, USA), The Yearning by Mohale Mashigo (PanMacmillan, South Africa), Piggy Boy’s Blues by Nakhane Toure (Blackbird Books imprint of Jacana Media, SA), The Peculiars by Jen Thorpe (Penguin Random House, USA), Born on a Tuesday by Elnathan John (Cassava Republic, Nigeria), And After Many Days by Jowhor Ile (Farafina an imprint of Kachifo Limited, Nigeria), Dub Steps by Andrew Miller (Jacana Media, South Africa), The Seed Thief by Jacqui L’Ange (Umuzi Publishers, South Africa) and Nwezelenga: The Star Child by Unathi Magubeni (Black Bird Books Imprint of Jacana Media, South Africa).

    The Chief Executive Officer of Etisalat Nigeria, Matthew Willsher, who endorsed the judges’ carefully moderated selection process, saying:“The novels in this year’s longlist represent a good number of African publishing companies. Each novel reflects a very interesting and dynamic perspective that will provoke intense conversations about different personal and societal issues.”

    The judging panel, comprising Nigerian novelist and poet, Helon Habila (Chair), South African writer/activist Elinor Sisulu and Ivorian writer and Africa39 laureate Edwige Rene Dro, now has the task of selecting three authors for the shortlist, which will be unveiled in December.

    The winner of the 2016 Etisalat Prize for Literature will be announced in March 2017 and will receive £15,000, an engraved Montblanc Meisterstück pen, and an Etisalat-sponsored fellowship at the University of East Anglia to be mentored by renowned Professor Giles Foden, author of The Last King of Scotland.

    Etisalat Prize for Literature is a pan-African prize that celebrates debut African writers of published book-length fiction. Previous winners include Zimbabwe’s NoViolet Bulawayo in 2013 for her novel We Need New Names, South Africa’s Songeziwe Mahlangu in 2014 for Penumbra and Democratic Republic of Congo’s Fiston Mwanza Mujila, whose book Tram 83 won the Etisalat Prize in 2015.

    The Etisalat Prize for Literature also incorporates an award for Flash Fiction; an online-based competition for non-published African writers of short stories.

  • South African writer wins Etisalat prize

    South African writer wins Etisalat prize

    South African writer Songeziwe Mahlangu on Sunday emerged winner of this year’s Etisalat Prize for Literature and a cash prize of 15,000 pounds.

    His book PenUmbra beat two other runners up Nigerian writer Chinelo Okparanta Happiness, Like Water and South African author Nadia Davids An imperfect Blessing. The award ceremony was held at the Intercontinental Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos.

    Elated Mahlungu said he was honoured by the award thanking his publishers; God and his mother for allowing him pursue his dream.

    Apart from the cash award, the winner will be presented with a high-end device, in addition to a book tour to three African cities.

    He will also embark on the Etisalat Fellowship at the University of East Anglia, where he will be mentored by Prof Giles Foden, author of The Last King of Scotland, which will afford him significant opportunities to network with other writers and publishers and time and resources to work on his second book. The two runners up will also win a book tour and Etisalat will purchase 1,000 copies of all three books for distribution across the continent.

    In addition, Mahlangu also got an engraved Montblanc Meisterstück pen. Mahlangu was born in 1985.

    He matriculated from Dale College, in King William’s Town, and went on to do a business science degree at the University of Cape Town.

    He returned to university to do a Masters degree in Creative Writing at Rhodes, Grahamstown, in 2011. Penumbra is the end result of that degree and his first novel. Songeziwe currently lives in East London and works at a large accountancy firm.

    In the Flash Fiction category, Neema Konga won the first prize of 1000 pounds while Chinma Ezenwa Ohaeto and Justin Irabor Ikhide got the runners-up prize of 500 pounds each.

    Chief Executive Officer Etisalat Mr. Matthew Willsher said ‘we are here to celebrate literature, books and stories. Our expertise is not to tell stories but to serve over 14 African countries and we carry over 14 million stories…We care about stories at Etisalat.’

    The Etisalat Prize for Literature is the first ever pan-African prize celebrating such first-time African writers of fiction. The prize aims to serve as a platform for the discovery of new creative African talent and to support the literary industry on the continent.

     

  • ‘No cash value increase for now’

    ‘No cash value increase for now’

    The Chair of Etisalat Prize for Literature, Dr. Sarah Ladipo Manyika has said that it would be premature to start considering an increase in the cash value of the annual prize, saying that the Etisalat Prize for Literature is not about providing gift for the few but the community. She spoke in Lagos during the unveiling of the judging panel for the second edition of the prize.

    Other members of the panel include award winning British/Sudanese writer Jamal Mahjoub, prolific Francophone writer Alain Mabanckou and writer and filmmaker Tsitsi Dangarembga.

    Manyika described Etisalat Prize for Literature as a phenomenon in any scale noting that she would ensure that the panel gets better and stronger in the discharge of its duty. “The prize is very unique and is poised to be African most prestigious prize,” she added.

    On whether there is likelihood of raising the cash value of the prize, she said: “We are always looking at several ways of improving the prize. For now, the prize is significant but it is not all about cash value. It is much bigger than individual award, not about providing gift for the few, but the community.”

    She holds a Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley, and currently teaches literature at San Francisco State University. Her writing includes essays, academic papers, reviews and short stories. Sarah’s first novel, Independence, is published by Legend Press (London) and Cassava Republic Press (Abuja). Sarah was one of the inaugural Judges for Etisalat Prize for Literature 2013.

    Now in its second year, the Etisalat Prize for Literature is the first Pan-African prize for debut fiction writers of African citizenship. The prize was launched last year June and has become one of Africa’s most prestigious literary prizes for fiction.

    Chief Executive Officer, Etisalat Nigeria, Matthew Willsher said the judges for this year’s prize are some of the most respected individuals in the literary world and they will bring in diverse experiences and expertise to the judging panel. “What is most exciting is that we have a very diverse panel that will bring in their individual perspectives to the judging process. They are an accomplished panel with vast amount of experience in the creative writing world”.

    He noted that building the brand is a long term journey and that the literature prize shows that ‘we care and it differentiates us. The direct business building may not be there now. The prize according to Willsher is a long term commitment by Etisalat to develop African literature as well as enhance the flame in African literature.

    Dangarembga who expressed happiness that the prize would make younger generation feel they are not left out, is hopeful that a homegrown African prize will lift African literature. “It will go a long way to unlock new talents as well as encourage publishers,” she said.

    She is a contemporary African feminist. She published a short story in Sweden entitled The Letter and in 1987, she published a play in Harare entitled She No Longer Weeps. Her real success came at age twenty-five with the publication of her novel Nervous Conditions. This novel was the first to be published in English by a black Zimbabwean woman. In 1989, Nervous Conditions won her the African section of the Commonwealth Writers Prize. She had made many film productions, including a documentary for German television. She made the film entitled Everyone’s Child in 1996. It was shown worldwide at various festivals including the Dublin Film Festival. In 2006, she published The Book of Not: A Sequel to Nervous Conditions.

    Jamal Mahjoub is an award winning writer of mixed British/Sudanese heritage. Born in London, he was raised in Khartoum where the family remained until 1990. He is also an award-winning novelist, translator and essayist.  Jamal Mahjoub reflect on notions of ancient Egypt in modern life and art. He was awarded a scholarship to study in England and attended the University of Sheffield. He has lived in various countries including the UK, Denmark and currently, Spain. He writes in English and has published seven novels under his own name. In 2012, Mahjoub began writing a series of crime fiction novels under the pseudonym Parker Bilal.

    Alain Mabanckou is considered to be one of the most talented and prolific writers in the French language today and the first francophone sub-Saharan African writer to be published by Gallimard in its prestigious “collection” called La Blanche. He is mostly known for his novels, notably Verre Cassé (BROKEN GLASS) which was unanimously praised by the press, critics and readers alike. In 2006 he published Memoires de porc-épic (Memoirs of a Porcupine) which garnered him the Prix RENAUDOT, one of the highest distinctions in literature written in French. His novels are published in more than fifteen languages.

    Zimbabwean NoViolet Bulawayo emerged winner of the maiden edition with her debut Fiction novel Bom Boy. She received £15,000 in Prize money and a fellowship at the University of East Anglia in the United Kingdom which she gifted to runner-up Yewande Omotoso.