Wasafiri Announces 2026 Queen Mary Wasafiri New Writing Prize Shortlists After Record Entries, With Africa Up by 172%
The numbers don't lie. Wasafiri's 2026 Queen Mary Wasafiri New Writing Prize drew a record-breaking wave of submissions this cycle, with entries from Africa jumping by 172 percent. That kind of surge signals something real: African writers are showing up, and the literary world is paying attention.
Fifteen writers have made it through to the shortlists, spread across three categories: fiction, life writing, and poetry. Each shortlisted writer represents the best of what emerged from what was clearly a fiercely competitive pool, and now the field narrows to three eventual winners.
Each category winner takes home £1,000, with the announcements happening on Saturday, 31 October, at the Southbank Centre in London. The ceremony falls within the London Literature Festival, which means the moment lands on one of the year's biggest stages for the written word.
With African submissions nearly tripling, the question now is how many of those fifteen shortlisted spots reflect that momentum. The ceremony at the end of October will give us the answer.
Originally published by Brittle Paper.