Élékéré Press Launches Inaugural Fiction Prize for Black Writers Across Africa and the Diaspora

The new $500 prize invites unpublished short stories on the theme of “Inheritance” — submissions close August 31, 2026.

Élékéré Press, an independent boutique publisher headquartered in Abuja, Nigeria, has announced the inaugural Élékéré Prize for Fiction. It’s a new award recognizing outstanding unpublished short fiction by Black writers across Africa and the diaspora.

The prize is open to writers on the continent and in the diaspora, with the inaugural edition themed “Inheritance,” inviting writers to explore what is passed down (in whatever form that might take). 

“Working across publishing, activism, and social justice for over a decade has made us realize that there are so many amazing voices and perspectives that never get the chance to be heard. There is still the belief that there is a certain way to be a writer and a certain way to be a Black and African writer. The Élékéré Prize is the first step in our pledge to support work that fits no mould, that is innovative, and authentic.”

— Justin Dozie, Co-Founder, Élékéré Press

On the Origin of the Name

Élékéré is the Igbo word for clock, and the name is deliberate.

“We chose it because time is the thing our writers have been denied, told again and again that the moment isn’t right, that the market isn’t ready. A clock doesn’t ask permission to strike the hour. Neither do we.”

— Nnaemeka Nnam, Co-Founder, Élékéré Press

The Judge

The inaugural prize will be judged by Arinze Ifeakandu, the acclaimed Nigerian writer and author of God’s Children Are Little Broken Things. 

Ifeakandu is a winner of the Dylan Thomas Prize and the Republic of Consciousness Prize, a finalist for the Kirkus Prize and the Lambda Literary Award, and a recipient of the Story Prize Spotlight Award and an O. Henry Prize.

“I was delighted to be invited to judge this inaugural prize, firstly because I love short stories, but also because African and Black writing has never been so exciting. I so much look forward to the stories that will come my way.”

— Arinze Ifeakandu

Submission Guidelines

• Original, unpublished fiction written in English
• Maximum 3,500 words
• Work created or substantially edited using AI is not eligible
• Deadline: August 31, 2026, 11:59 pm WAT
• Prize: $500

Send submissions and questions to submissions@elekere.press. Full guidelines at www.elekere.press/contest-guidelines

About Élékéré Press

Élékéré Press is an independent press committed to editorial courage, design-led publishing, and a writer-first ethos. They’re based in Abuja. 

The publication is building a catalog of unflinching Black stories that have long been overlooked — feminist literature, queer stories, speculative fiction, and work that exists at the margins.