“I believe that a literary prize for African writers will show the creative spirit of Africa and her humanity more globally”
The AKO Caine Prize for African Writing is a registered charity whose aim is to bring African writing to a wider audience using our annual literary award. In addition to administering the Prize, we work to connect readers with African writers through a series of public events, as well as helping emerging writers in Africa to enter the world of mainstream publishing through the annual Caine Prize writers’ workshop which takes place in a different African country each year.
The stories written at Caine Prize workshops are published annually alongside the Prize's shortlisted stories in the annual Caine Prize Anthology by Cassava Republic Press in the UK and publishers African countries including, Jacana Media (South Africa), Cassava Republic (Nigeria), FEMRITE (Uganda), Gadsen Publishers (Zambia), 'amaBooks (Zimbabwe), Langaa (Cameroon), and Mkuku na Nyota (Tanzania).
It is named after the late Sir Michael Caine, former Chairman of Booker plc, who was Chairman of the 'Africa 95' arts festival in Europe and Africa in 1995 and for nearly 25 years Chairman of the Booker Prize management committee. After his death, friends and colleagues decided to establish a prize of £10,000 to be awarded annually in his memory.
“Over the years, the Caine Prize has a done a great deal to foster writing in Africa and bring exciting new African writers to the attention of wider audiences”