Élékéré Press Shortlists Seven Authors for its Short Story Prize

Élékéré Press has shortlisted seven writers for its inaugural short story prize. The winner will be announced on November 2, 2026.

After an open call for Black writers in Africa and the diaspora to submit unpublished short stories, Élékéré Press has revealed the seven writers shortlisted for the 2026 prize from over 200 submissions received across Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, the United States, Zimbabwe, and more.

The shortlisted stories from authors include:

• Sweet Salt — Olúwatúnmiṣe Ọ̀tọ̀lórìn Akìgbógun (Nigeria)
• The Tick — Gabriel Divinefavour Onyekachi (Nigeria)
• Tomato Baby — Timothy Ugorji (Nigeria)
• Name Equations — Oghenechovwe Ekpeki (Nigeria)
• N/A, Check Next Visit — Haliru Ali Musa (Nigeria)
• Image of A Man — Shirley Strickland (United States)
• The Inheritance of Hands — Black Edward (Zimbabwe)

The prize, launched earlier this year, invited Black writers across Africa and the diaspora to submit unpublished short fiction on the theme of “Inheritance.” It explored the various forms of what was passed down and remade. 

A panel of four reader judges, chaired by Arinze Ifeakandu, author of God’s Children Are Little Broken Things, selected the shortlisted stories.

“This prize was launched to spotlight, celebrate, and empower the talent of Black and African writers. The result is a diverse shortlist of incredible writers from all around the globe and all walks of life. This shortlist not only demonstrates the incredibly varied spectrum of writing from the continent and around the world, but also exemplifies the ethos of Élékéré Press: challenging what it means to tell Black and African stories.”

— Olly Nze, Editor, Élékéré Press

The winner will be announced on November 2, 2026, and will receive $500. The winning story will be published on the Élékéré Press website.

About Élékéré Press

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

The press is drawn to stories rooted in lived experience: tender, disruptive, experimental, and hard to place neatly within genre boundaries. They champion works that exist at the margins.

At the heart of Élékéré is a belief that important stories should not have to wait for permission or for the world to decide that their time has come.