Back in February, we highlighted  fifteen African authors on the Locus Recommended Reading List and asked you to vote. The top finalists are now in for different categories, and the continent has held its ground. Six African writers and editors have made the shortlist across six categories, and one of them appears in three of them alone.

The Locus Awards are voted on by readers of Locus magazine, the monthly industry publication for science fiction and fantasy. The awards are considered to share the stature of the Hugo and Nebula Awards, and unlike either, voting is open to the general public, subscriber votes count double, but anyone can participate. This year’s winners will be announced on May 30 at the Locus Awards Ceremony at Hotel Shattuck in Berkeley, California, held in partnership with the Bay Area Book Festival under the theme “Writing the Future.” Notably, Nnedi Okorafor is one of three guests of honour at this year’s ceremony, a distinction that makes her triple finalist appearance all the more fitting.

Here is where African writers landed:

Science Fiction Novel — Death of the Author, Nnedi Okorafor (Morrow/Gollancz). Okorafor’s novel, one of the most talked-about speculative fiction releases of 2025, earns her a spot in the category’s top ten.

Illustrated & Art Book — The Space Cat, Nnedi Okorafor, art by Tana Ford (First Second). A second Okorafor title makes the list, this time in the illustrated category, a reminder that she remains one of the most productive and range-spanning African speculative fiction writers working today.

Anthology — Two anthologies with African connections make this category. The first is The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2025, co-edited by Nnedi Okorafor with John Joseph Adams (Mariner), giving Okorafor a remarkable three entries across the full shortlist. The second is As the Earth Dreams: Black Canadian Speculative Stories, edited by Terese Mason Pierre (Spiderline) — an anthology that deserves particular attention as a document of the Black Canadian speculative imagination, it is dominated by African-Canadian authors.

Non-Fiction — Racebook: A Personal History of the Internet, Tochi Onyebuchi (Roxane Gay Books). Onyebuchi, whose speculative fiction has appeared on the Locus shortlist before, makes his mark this year in non-fiction. Racebook is a personal and cultural history of the internet that has been generating serious conversation since its release.

Novelette — “We Begin Where Infinity Ends”, Somto Ihezue (Clarkesworld, February 2025). Ihezue’s appearance here is one of the more exciting entries on the list. The Nigerian writer has been a quiet force in short speculative fiction for the past few years, and this Clarkesworld piece landing in the shortlist is a meaningful signal of how far that reputation has travelled.

First Novel — A Song of Legends Lost, M.H. Ayinde (Orbit UK/Saga). The Nigerian-British writer’s debut fantasy makes the shortlist in what is one of the most competitive categories. Ayinde is already on our radar, her novel also appeared on our coverage earlier this year.

As we noted when the recommended reading list came out, the long fiction categories are doing the heaviest lifting, and Nnedi Okorafor’s presence across multiple categories is a reminder that she remains one of the most productive African speculative fiction writers working today. That observation holds even more weight now that the votes are in.

The winners will be announced May 30. Watch this space.