WHO WE ARE

Past Judges

Since 2000, the Caine Prize has stood at the centre of African literature — celebrating the short story as a form, and the writers who are reshaping how the world reads the continent.

Past judges

Chair of Judges

Full Name

Novelist & Critic

Judge

Full Name

Role

Judge

Full Name

Role

2026 panel

Judge

Full Name

Rol

Judge

Full Name

Rol

01

02

“The Cartographer’s Daughter”


“Salt and Statues”


03

04

A coastal town recons with its monuments. - South africa

“The Long Rains”


“Wireframe”


05

Two sisters wait out a season that changes everything. - Kenya

A coder in Accra builds a ghost into the machine. - Ghana

“The Inheritance of Salt”

A family recipe outlives the family. - Zimbabwe


One story, chosen each year from across a continent.

A mapmaker retraces a vanished coastline - Nigeria

HISTORY OF THE PRIZE

The 2026 shortlist


£10k

Awarded to the winning writer each year, with £500 to each shortlisted author.

25


Years championing the African short story since the first Prize in 2000.

54


Nationalities eligible across the continent and its diaspora worldwide.