The Awele Creative Trust (ACT) has announced the longlist for the 2022 edition of the short story prize tagged ACT Award 2022.
According to the Trust founded by award winning writer, Chike Unigwe, who is also its creative director, the longlist is made up of 10 writers “whose stories impressed with the quality of writing, and some of the writers’ willingness to take risks (and successfully so)”.
The longlist for the ACT Award 2023 (in no particular order) is as follows:
Daniel Ogba for “Mockingbird”
Ifeoma Aroh for “Uloma”
Nnamdi Vin-Anuonye for “I Hope You Dance”
Osahon Izeiyamu for “Me, a Catalyst”
Godwin Adah for “Shine Shine Bobo”
Cole Olasubomi for “How to Love You Again”
Michael Emmanuel for “Everything Ends in Cycles”
Chinenye Anwunah for “Mirror On The Wall”
Rafiat Lamidi for “Traveller”
Akunna James-Ibe for “Ndubuisi”
The Trust says this year’s competition received an overwhelming number of entries from young Nigerian writers across the country, with stories whose subjects range from belonging, love and loss to politics and identity.
Each of these stories, it adds, is a testament to the wealth of untapped talent in Nigeria.
ACT congratulates all the longlisted authors and wishes them the very best of luck as they move forward in the competition.
A shortlist of five will be announced in March 2023 while a winner will emerge in April 2023.
The annual short story prize was conceived to encourage aspiring writers in Nigeria.
Awele Creative Trust, a non-profit organisation, was set up in 2014 with Prof. Akachi Ezeigbo, Prof. Femi Osofisan, Kanene Dieobi and Ichie Nnaeto Orazulike as board members.
The first ACT was awarded in January 2015 to Caleb Adebayo. The judges have included Justine Labalestier, Brian Chikwava, Toni Kan Onwordi, Madeleine Thien, Joe Dunthorne, Chibundu Onuzo, Vamba Sherif and Monica Arac d’Nyeko.
