The SEVHAGE Literary Prizes are a group of annual literary and art prizes organized by SEVHAGE Literary and Development Initiative and SEVHAGE Publishers (a subset of SEVHAGE Integrated Services Ltd) in collaboration with various partners, open to Africans and other writers globally. Initiated in its current format in 2019, the Prizes aim to recognise and celebrate the outstanding contributions of African creatives across various categories including poetry, prose, spoken word, drama, dancing, and general writing. The Prizes succeed various other awards established and independently administered and funded by SEVHAGE on an annual basis since 2013.
Past winners and runners-up of the prizes have included [POETRY] Chinua Ezenwa-Ohaeto, Adedayo Agarau, Pamilerin Jacob; Adenle Iyanuoluwa Deborah, Osi Stanley Chijioke; [SPOKEN WORD] Abbas Suleiman, Hafsat Abdullahi, Younglan Talyoung, and Elizabeth KJ Umoru; [PROSE] Ebuka Prince Okoroafor, Hajaarh Muhammad Bashar, and Olaposi Washington Halim; [CREATIVE NON-FICTION) Odueso Oluwatimilehin Charles, David Iruoje, Samuel Amazing Ayoade, and Nguher Terungwa James.
The 2023 main winners are Arasi Kamolideen Oluwapelumi (E. E. Sule/SEVHAGE Prize for African Criticism); Amanda Ilozumba and Ola W. Halim (SEVHAGE/Leticia Nyitse Prize for Short Fiction); Abasi-maenyin Esebre (SEVHAGE/Maria Ajima Prize for Creative Non-Fiction); and Sodiq Oyekanmi (SEVHAGE-KSR Hyginus Ekwuazi Poetry Prize). For a full list of the 2023 Winners, please CLICK HERE.
To read our 2023 report with a list of our past winners since 2019, please SPECIFIC REPORT ON SEVHAGE PRIZES 2024. Send inquiries to sevhageprizes@gmail.com
THE SEVHAGE PRIZES 2024 [Deadline: 22nd September 2024] (22nd September 2024 23:59)
- The K & L Prize for Fiction
- The E. E. Sule/SEVHAGE Prize for African Literary Criticism
- The Eugenia Abu/SEVHAGE International Prize for Creative Non-Fiction
THE EUGENIA ABU/SEVHAGE INTERNATIONAL PRIZE FOR CREATIVE NON-FICTION 2024 (N1,000,000) [Deadline: 22nd September 2024 23:59]
The Eugenia Abu/SEVHAGE Creative Non-Fiction Prize looks to encourage exploration into the non-fiction genre among writers, while celebrating Mrs Eugenia Abu, one of Nigeria’s most loved and recognizable journalists and writers. Like the ALINEA Prize, a sister prize, this prize looks “for work that reaches beyond truth. We want to hear what you have to say in the best way you can say it.” The prize is worth One Million Naira and open to anyone anywhere in the world. For guidelines on this prize, please click on this link. This prize is in partnership with the ALINEA Initiative.
THE K & L PRIZE FOR FICTION 2024 (Worth N600,000.00 + Publication) [Deadline: 22nd September 2024 23:59]
With a star prize of Five Hundred Thousand Naira and twenty thousand naira for shortlisted entries, this SEVHAGE Short Fiction Prize is for a work of short fiction (800-2000 words) that focus on mental health and reduce stigma while encouraging positive stories to promote well-being. For guidelines on this prize, please click on this link. This prize money is majorly in part, courtesy of an endowment by Dr Myles Idoko Ojabo.
The E. E. SULE/SEVHAGE PRIZE FOR AFRICAN LITERARY CRITICISM 2024 (N285,000) [Deadline: 22nd September 2024 23:59]:
This award for critical writing (4,500 to 6,000 words) is named in honour of Nigeria’s prominent scholar and literary critic, Professor Sule Emmanuel Egya (a.k.a E. E. Sule), an outstanding writer, whose lifelong works in criticism are visionary and inspiring. Entrants are expected to submit a 4500-6000 worded well-researched essay on African literature and/or African literary theory which focuses on a specific contemporary text or area of literature. For guidelines on entry for this prize, please visit this link.
sevhage 
Can I submit through email please?
Dear Saheed, apologies that we are replying late. We are sorry that we only accept submissions via the link. If you have any accessibility issues, please send a mail to sevhageprizes@gmail.com and we will see how to get it sorted. Many thanks.
Thanks. I later submitted