WHO WE ARE
About the prize
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.
£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.
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
This year’s judges
Chair of Judges
Full Name
Novelist & Critic
Judge
Full Name
Role
Judge
Full Name
Role
2026 panelJudge
Full Name
Rol
Judge
Full Name