Media and publishing platform Afritondo has announced the longlist for the 2025 Afritondo Short Story Prize. The longlist of fifteen stories was chosen from a pool of over 500 stories from 34 countries.

The Afritondo Short Story Prize is open to Black and African writers worldwide. This year, Afritondo asked writers to respond to the theme of “masks”: spiritual, psychological, social, and cultural coverings that people wear.

Commenting on the longlist, judge Rémy Ngamije said:

Showcasing the diversity of writers propelling the continued magic of African storytelling, this year’s longlist is an eclectic collection of tales of home, hope, memory, loss, and discovery told in a dizzying array of styles and voices…Africa and its rich diaspora abound with talent, wit, heart, and magnetic stories that will engage the curious reader.

The four stories that make it to the shortlist, which will be announced on April 18, will receive $100 USD each. The winner, which will be announced on May 9, will receive $1000 USD.

The longlisted stories will be published in an anthology later this year. See the full list below and read more about the authors in their profiles here.

  1. Efua Boadu The Twenty-Eighth Day (United Kingdom / Ghana)

  2. Rigwell Addison Asiedu The Masque of Transfiguration (Ghana)

  3. Olivia Adekola Seasons (Nigeria / United States)

  4. Ekpenyong Kosisochukwu The Country of Moths (Nigeria)

  5. Emelda Nyaradzai Gwitimah Bible Blues (Zimbabwe / Canada)

  6. Jen Thorpe Waiting for a Sign (South Africa)

  7. Olufunmilayo Makinde Elect (Nigeria)

  8. Baaba Tekyi-Mensah This is how to stay alive (Ghana)

  9. Anisha Namutowe The Weight of a Legacy (Zambia)

  10. Yvonne Zabu Wamara Pineapple (Uganda)

  11. Nzube Nlebedim The Coy Smile of Birds (Nigeria)

  12. Mustapha Enesi Mrs Coker and the Headless Masquerade (Nigeria)

  13. Gift Nyoni Heat (Zimbabwe / United Kingdom)

  14. Hussani Abdurahim Spider Girl (Nigeria)

  15. Zoe Ngombane To my right, the ocean, to my left, the hills (South Africa)