ABOUT THE PRIZE
Who We Are
The Caine Prize is a literary prize for a short story written by an African and published in English. The first prize in 2000, was awarded to Sudanese author Leila Aboulela at the Zimbabwe International Book Fair and celebrated at the Bodelian Library in Oxford, UK.
£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
African nationalities eligible across the continent and its diaspora.
HISTORY OF THE PRIZE
The 25 winners
2000 Leila Aboulela (Sudan) - The Museum
2001 Helon Habila (Nigeria) - Love Poems
2002 Binyavanga Wainaina (Kenya) - Discovering Home
2003 Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor (Kenya) -Weight of Whispers
2004 Brian Chikwava (Zimbabwe) - Seventh Street Alchemy
2005 Segun Afolabi (Nigeria) - Monday Morning
2006 Mary Watson (South Africa) - Jungfrau
2007 Monica Arak de Nyeko (Uganda) - Jambula Tree
2008 Henrietta Rose Innes (South Africa) - Poison
2009 E.C. Osundu (Nigeria) - Waiting
2010 Olufemi Terry (Sierra Leone) - Stick Fighting Days
2011 No Violet Bulawayo (Zimbabwe) - Hitting Budapest
2012 Rotimi Babatunde (Nigeria) - Bombay’s Republic
2013 Tope Folarin (Nigeria) - Miracle
2014 Okwiri Oduor (Kenya) - My Father’s Head
2015 Namwali Serpell (Zambia) - The Sack
2016 Lidudumalingani (South Africa) - Memories We Lost
2017 Bushra al-Fadil (Sudan) - The Story Of The Girl Whose Birds Flew Away
2018 Makena Onjerika (Kenya) - Fanta Blackcurrant
2019 Lesley Nneka Arimah (Nigeria) - Skinned
2020 Irenosen Okojie (Nigeria) - Grace Jones
2021 Meron Hadero (Ethiopia) - The Street Sweep
2022 Idza Luhmuyo (Kenya) - Five Years Next Sunday
2023 Mame Bougouma Diene & Woppa Diallo (Senegal) - Soul of Small Places
2024 Nadia Davids (South Africa) - Bridling
The 2025 Honorary Prize Judging Panel
Chair of Judges
Abdulrazak Gurnah
Novelist & Academic
Judge
Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi
Novelist & Short Story Writer
Judge
Tony Tagoe
Film Producer
To celebrate 25 years of the Prize in 2025, we asked Nobel Laureate Abdulrazak Gurnah to Chair a special panel of judges. Together the group selected one story from our twenty-five-year history of winners to award an honorary prize. The winner, unanimously selected was Zimbabwean Author NoViolet Bulawayo for her short story “Hitting Budapest”. We were delighted to award her in her hometown of Bulawayo, Zimbabwe and celebrate her in Harare, Zimbabwe.
NoViolet Bulawayo
Honorary Winner