By Iminza Keboge
Published December 18, 2018
A literary prize for children’s writers and illustrators from across Africa has announced the awards for the 2018 Golden Baobab Prize.
The jury of the 10th Golden Baobab Prize says the 2018 Golden Baobab Prize will offer multiple awards but no winner as ‘the top entries of the literature prize were more ready for editorial support and mentorship than they were ready for publication. For the illustrator prize, while there were strong entries the jury did not find illustrations that met this year’s criteria’.
The administrators of Golden Baobab, a literary nonprofit organisation that says it ‘discovers, celebrates and nurtures children’s writers and illustrators from across Africa’ says the mandate for this year’s jury was to ‘find writers whose manuscripts were publishing ready and versatile illustrators whose styles showed evidence that they could create work for a wide audience of children’.
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The jury shortlisted four stories that it awarded a prize package of editorial support and connections to publishing opportunities. It also shortlisted an illustrator for commendation on what it refers to as ‘creative interpretation of the illustration briefs provided’.
Those Shortlisted were:
- The Clock Can’t Jump Through Time by Adeola Adeyemo (Nigeria) for the Golden Baobab Prize for Picture Books
- Think Before You Act, Kuku! by Thandazile Sakhile Mpofu (Zimbabwe) for the Golden Baobab Prize for Picture Books
- Keeper of the Gates by David Kwakye (Ghana) for the Golden Baobab Prize for Early Chapter Books
- The Era of the Afrocubs by Ayo Oyeku (Nigeria) for the Golden Baobab Prize for Early Chapter Books
- Elizabeth Jeffery (South Africa) for the Golden Baobab Prize for African Illustrators.
Deborah Osei-Agyekum, Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Golden Baobab Prize, said, “We support the jury’s decision for the Golden Baobab Prize to announce no winner for 2018 but rather offer awards to multiple entrants. The cash award from this year’s Prize will be rolled into future years with an increased focus on publishing. Over the past 10 years, the Golden Baobab Prize has successfully matched talented African writers and illustrators to publishing opportunities for children’s books and we are committed to do more. Stories and illustrators from the Golden Baobab Prize have gone on to be published by African Bureau Stories, Penguin Random House South Africa, Oxford University Press, Quramo Publishing and Cassava Republic Press among others.”
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The organisers of the prize said they had received more than 300 new and original stories and illustrations from 17 African countries from which the following longlisted:
The Golden Baobab Prize for Picture Books
- Adeola Adeyemo, Nigeria – The Clock Can’t Jump Through Time
- Thandazile Sakhile Mpofu, Zimbabwe – Think Before You Act, Kuku!
- Sharon Salu, Nigeria – Koko’s Head
- Marie Pelagie Elimbi Moudio, Cameroon – The Water Festival
The Golden Baobab Prize for Early Chapter Books
- Warũgũrũ Mũchĩra, Kenya – Akinyi
- David Kwakye, Ghana – Keeper of the Gates
- Ayo Oyeku, Nigeria – The Era of the Afrocubs
- Lorna Likiza, Kenya – Oi Gets Lost
The Golden Baobab Prize for African Illustrators
- Charles Achibi, Nigeria
- Precious Narotso, Kenya
- Henry Ezeokeke, Nigeria
- Elizabeth Jeffery, South Africa.
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