British Ghanian writer and photographer Caleb Azumah Nelson has been awarded an honorary fellowship from Goldsmiths University of London!

Nelson first made waves with his debut novel Open Water, which won the Costa Book Award for First Novel, Debut of the Year at the British Book Awards, the Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year Award, the Waterstones Book of the Year, among many of its honors. Open Water is also being made into an eight-part series for BBC iPlayer and BBC One, with Azumah Nelson serving as the drama’s lead writer, director and executive producer. His second novel, Small Worlds, was shortlisted for the Orwell Prize for Political Fiction and won the Dylan Thomas Prize, and has been optioned for TV by British production company Brock Media.

Growing up in Bellingham, in South East London, Nelson studied sports science at Coventry University. After facing family tragedies as a teenager, he traded in his job at Apple and dreams of becoming a basketball player to commit to writing full time — a commitment that has led to huge success. Nelson also has a passion for photography, which he sees as going hand in hand with his writing.

This honorary fellowship celebrates Nelson’s honest and moving work in writing and visual art:

A champion of Black creative expression, Nelson’s achievements align closely with Goldsmiths’ commitment to diversity and innovation. His evocative prose and visual artistry continue to inspire audiences worldwide, and we are proud to honour this remarkable artist with an Honorary Fellowship for his contributions to arts and culture.

A huge congratulations to Nelson for this well-deserved honor! See more photos from his Instagram below!