South African author Nadia Davids, winner of the 2024 Caine Prize for African Writing. (Twitter/@CainePrize)
- South African writer Nadia Davids has won the 2024 Caine Prize for African Writing for her short story, Bridling.
- This year’s competition saw a record-breaking 320 entries from 28 African countries, marking the Caine Prize’s 25th anniversary.
- Davids will receive £10 000 and her work will be featured in the 2024 Caine Prize Anthology, Midnight In the Morgue and Other Stories.
South African writer Nadia Davids has been awarded the 2024 Caine Prize for African Writing for her short story, Bridling, published in The Georgia Review in 2023.
This year’s competition saw a record-breaking 320 entries from 28 African countries, all competing for the coveted prize. This event also marked a significant milestone in the history of the Caine Prize as it celebrated its 25th anniversary.
Speaking of the winning story, award-winning author and chair of the judges Chika Unigwe said: “Bridling is an impressive achievement, a triumph of language, storytelling and risk-taking while maintaining a tightly controlled narrative about women who rebel. It embodies the spirit of the Caine Prize, which is to celebrate the richness and diversity of short stories by African writers. That is to say, to challenge the single story of African literature.”
??The Caine Prize for African Writing is delighted to announce that South African writer Nadia Davids has been awarded the 2024 Caine Prize for African Writing for her outstanding short story, Bridling, published in The Georgia Review in 2023. ????????
Congratulations Nadia! ? pic.twitter.com/hjIGswlGqq
— The Caine Prize for African Writing (@CainePrize) September 17, 2024
Davids joins the rank of previous winners, including Senegalese writers Mame Bougouma Diene and Woppa Diallo (2023), Kenyan writer Idza Luhumyo (2022), Ethiopian-American writer Meron Hadero (2021), and Nigerian-British writer Irenosen Okojie (2020).
This year’s judging panel comprised poet, artist and filmmaker Julianknxx; writer, scholar and filmmaker Siphiwe Gloria Ndlovu; hip-hop artist Tumi Molekane, aka Stogie T; and novelist Ayesha Harruna Attah.
Davids will be awarded the £10,000 Caine Prize and will have her work featured in the 2024 Caine Prize Anthology, Midnight In the Morgue and Other Stories, published by Cassava Republic Press.
Runners-up will receive a prize of £500 and will also be featured in the anthology. The 2024 anthology will also include stories from this year’s workshop held in Salima, Malawi.
The Caine Prize for African Writing has played an important role in shaping the careers of African writers for nearly 25 years, offering global visibility and opportunities, including publishing deals and writing fellowships.
Commenting on this year’s award, Ellah Wakatama OBE, Chair of The Caine Prize Board of Trustees, said:
I was delighted by the range and ambition of this year’s shortlisted stories. It is especially pleasing to see writers many will recognise and to introduce new voices. As we enter into our 25th year, it’s wonderful to have such a strong shortlist and formidable Nadia Davis as our winner.
Joining Davids on this year’s Caine Prize shortlist were Tryphena Yeboah from Ghana for The Dishwashing Women (Narrative Magazine, Fall 2022), Samuel Kolawole from Nigeria for Adjustment of Status (New England Review, Vol. 44, #3, Summer 2023), Uche Okonkwo from Nigeria for Animals (ZYZZYVA, 2024), and Pemi Aguda from Nigeria for Breastmilk (One Story, Issue #227, 2021).
Davids, originally from Cape Town, currently resides in Los Angeles. She writes fiction, plays and books. Her debut novel, An Imperfect Blessing, was published in 2014, and her sophomore novel, Cape Fever, is set to be published in 2026, according to The Guardian.
READ BRIDLING HERE
Information supplied by The Caine Prize for African Writing.
