Golden Baobab Prize Winners Announced! Lauri Kubuitsile, Mirirai Moyo and Ahmed Farah
Today the winners of the Golden Baobab Awards for youth literature was announced in Accra, Ghana. The rebranded Golden Baobab Prize (formerly known as the Baobab Prize) is the only prize of its kind, awarded to the African authors whose writing is targeted at young readers around the world.
The contest is held annually and is open to all African citizens regardless of age, race or where they live. The target audience for the written stories are between the ages of 8-11 and 12-15 years.
This year, Lauri Kubuitsile from Botswana won the Golden Baobab Prize in the 12-15 years category for her story, Mechanic’s Son. Mirirai Moyo from Zimbabwe won the Golden Baobab Prize for Diki, the Little Earthworm in the 8-11 years category and Kenya’s Ahmed Farah’s won the Golden Baobab Rising Writer Award for his Letters from the Flames. The award is given to a young writer 18 years and below who shows exceptional literary talent for his-her age.
Up-and-coming young writer, Ahmed Farah:
Here’s the Golden Baobab shortlist for stories targeted at readers 8-11 years:
Dorothy Dyer (South Africa) for War Stories
Gothataone Moeng (Botswana), The Rainmakers of Botalaote
Lauri Kubuitsile (Botswana), Lightning and Thunderers
And the Golden Baobab shortlist for stories targeted at readers 12-15 years:
Jenny Robson (South Africa), Only the Stones Still Cry
Patrick Ochieng (Kenya), Neighbours
Winners receive a monetary prize as well as contact with publishers all over the world, so if you think you have a knack for writing and storytelling that will appeal to a youth audience, enter your stories for next year’s Golden Baobab Awards.
Images courtesy GoldenBaobabOrg
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