The University of Johannesburg Prize for South African Writing (UJ Prize) in English has announced its 2026 winners: Michelle Kekana takes the Debut Prize for The Fragile Mental Health of Strong Women, and Malika Lueen Ndlovu wins the Main Prize for Griefseed.

The prize, open to published South African works in English across genres, drew a strong field this year, judged by a five-person panel spanning three universities: Prof Nedine Moonsamy of the University of Johannesburg (Chair), Prof Sikhumbuzo Mngadi and Prof Marzia Milazzo, both also of UJ, Prof Rebecca Fasselt of the University of Pretoria, and Dr Wisani Mushwana of the University of Cape Town. Moonsamy described the judging process as an encouraging one for South African letters. “The quality of submissions was exceptionally high and offered a reassuring view of the contemporary South African literary landscape,” she said. “As usual, we have read across genres to select our winners.”

Kekana’s The Fragile Mental Health of Strong Women took the Debut Prize by unanimous decision, with judges praising the novel’s raw, refreshing portrait of Black South African women and its experimental, luminous quality.

Ndlovu’s Griefseed emerged as this year’s uncontested Main Prize winner. Jury member Marzia Milazzo called the collection, which weaves together poems, reflections, essays, and images, “an extraordinary collection on grief that moves, empowers, and, ultimately, heals.” Milazzo pointed to the book’s insistence on expression over suppression, quoting Ndlovu’s own line from the work: “Let the wound weep.”

The Main Prize winner receives R75,000, while the Debut Prize carries a R45,000 award; all three nominees in each category receive certificates of recognition. Congratulations to Kekana, Ndlovu, and all of this year’s nominees.