It is time to nominate your favorite Gambian writers and their books to the 2023 Gambia Prize for Literature.

Established in 2022, the Gambia Prize for Literature is the biggest literary award in Gambia and one of the youngest literary awards in the world. This annual Gambian literary award honors Gambian authors with scholarly erudition and is sponsored by Alliance Francaise Banjul and The French Institute of Senegal.

Past recipients include prominent Gambian writers such as Tijan M. Sallah, Juka Fatou Jabang, Janet Badjan-Young, Sally Sadie Singhateh, Baba Galleh Jallow, among others. In the past, all winners received a glass trophy and a certificate. The 2023 prize will also include a cash prize.

The award categories are divided based on genre:

  • The YWAG Prize for Gambian Literature
  • The Dr. Tijan Sallah Prize for Gambian Poetry
  • The Gabriel J. Roberts Prize for Gambian Drama
  • The Ebou Dibba Prize for Gambian Fiction
  • The Baaba Sillah Prize for Non-Fiction
  • The Momodou Sabally Prize for Spoken Word Poetry
  • The Dr. Ralphina D’ Almeida, Nee Philott Prize for Gambian History
  • The Nana Grey-Johnson Prize for Emerging Writers
  • The Next Generation Foundation Prize for Professional Writing
  • The ACALAN Prize for African Languages
  • The Dr. Amina A. Sillah Prize for Gambian Memoirs

The jury will include seven members, with representatives from the Writers Association of The Gambia (WAG), at least one staff member of the National Centre for Arts and Culture (NCAC), and members from partner institutions.

The winners will be announced at the Kunta Kinteh International Book Festival (KKIBF), a project of the Young Writers’ Association of The Gambia (YWAG), in October 2023.

Go here to find more info about the prize. Nominations are open until June 2023.

Nominate your favorite Gambian writers here.