The shortlist for the 2023 Evaristo Prize for African Poetry has been announced. Five poets and a leading poem from their collection of ten submitted poems — Derek Ehiorobo, And God Said; Nkateko Masinga, Self-Portrait in Utopia and Other Poem; Kyle Okeke, Butterflies; Chisaraokwu, This Wake Holding; and Wale Ayinla, How to Live in Denial — were announced.

The 2023 prize was co-won by Feranmi Ariyo and Gracia “Cianga” Mwamba. The winner for the 2023 prize will be announced in May, 2024.

The Evaristo Prize for African Poetry began as the Brunel International African Poetry Prize and is an annual prize of USD $1,500 awarded to ten poems written by an African poet. The prize was renamed in 2022 in honour of British writer Bernardine Evaristo, who founded and managed the prize for ten years.

Read more about the prize and open calls here.