Alert! Golden Baobab has announced the winners of the 7th edition of the Golden Baobab Prize.
Established in July 2008, the Golden Baobab Prize is often referred to as the “African Newbery Prize”, and is a prestigious award in the African children’s literature industry. Its aim is to support the development of children’s books by African writers and illustrators.
The Prize invites entries of unpublished stories and illustrations created by African citizens irrespective of age, race, or country of origin. The Prize is organized by Golden Baobab, a Ghana-based pan-African NGO dedicated to “creating a world filled with wonder and possibilities for children, one African story at a time”.
The organisation’s advisory board includes renowned authors Ama Ata Aidoo and Maya Ajmera.
The Golden Baobab Prize received over 150 stories from 11 African countries this year. Submissions were judged by a jury from diverse backgrounds who brought nearly 100 years of collective experience in children’s literature to the selection of the 2016 winners and finalists.
The winning stories of the 2016 Golden Baobab Prize are:
- Golden Baobab Prize for Early Chapter Books: The Ama-zings! by Lori-Ann Preston (South Africa)
- Golden Baobab Prize for Picture Books: Kita and the Red, Dusty Road by Vennessa Scholtz (South Africa)
The winner of each Golden Baobab Prize receives a cash prize of US$5,000 (about R70,300) and a guaranteed publishing contract.
Those shortlisted were:
The Golden Baobab Prize for Early Chapter Books
- Maya and the Finish Line by Ayo Oyeku (Nigeria)
- Lights and Freedom by Khethiwe Mndawe (South Africa)
The Golden Baobab Prize for Picture Books
- A Dark Night for Wishes by Kai Tuomi (South Africa)
- Mr Cocka-Rocka-Roo by Lori-Ann Preston (South Africa)
Golden Baobab Executive Director Deborah Ahenkorah Osei-Agyekum said:
For the past seven years, The Golden Baobab Prize has focused on delivering a quality annual literature prize that raises awareness about the need for more African literature for children. Now, the Prize is excited to enter a new phase where we will focus heavily on setting up more publishing partnerships and opportunities for our writers to get more African books into the hands of children. For the first time, this year’s winning stories are guaranteed a publishing contract. The longlist also receives publishing services from Golden Baobab that will connect their stories to leading African and international publishers.
Congratulations to the winners – and those shortlisted.