In Loving Memory of Charity Wakini Kuria 1991-2019 – She loved, even when it hurt
About the Award
The Wakini Kuria Prize for Children’s Literature was established in 2019 to honour the memory and legacy of Wakini Kuria who served on the Advisory board of the African Writers Development Trust and as the Chief Editor of Writers Space Africa (WSA) magazine from 2017 until her demise in 2019. She was also the convener and coordinator of Writers Space Africa – Kenya Chapter.
The previous winners of this award are Makhago Peter (Uganda), Nathaniel Z Mpofu (Zimbabwe), Marjorie Moono Simuyuni (Zambia), Madeha Ezekial Malecela (Tanzania), Blessing Aliyu Tarfa (Nigeria), Halieo Motanyane (Lesotho), and Stephanie Chizoba Odili (Nigeria).
For this fourth edition of the Wakini Kuria Prize, we are calling for submissions in the Children’s literature genre for children from ages 8 to 12. This call is open ONLY to writers of African descent and will run from March 15 until July 1, 2022. The winner of this prize will receive a certificate and $200. The second-place winner will receive a certificate and $150, while the third place will receive a certificate and $100.
Please note that there is no theme for this call. The entry should not exceed 1,200 words and must not have been previously published anywhere including personal blogs. The entry should be sent in MS Word format only to wakiniaward@writerstrust.org. Please include your name, country, a short bio and your social media handles – if any.
Also, if you have any questions about the award, please send an email to info@writerstrust.org.
Please click on any of the names below to read the winning entries for the 2021 edition:
1st Place – The Millionaire Orphan by Makhago Peter (Uganda)
2nd Place – Tea time with Tito by Stephanie Chizoba Odili (Nigeria)
3rd Place – The Enchanted Pen by Nathaniel Z Mpofu (Zimbabwe)
The Judging Panel
The chief judge of the Wakini Kuria Prize for Children’s Literature is Nahida Esmail. She is an award-winning author born and raised in Dar es Salam, Tanzania. Her five young adult novels, Living in the Shade, Lesslie the City Maasai, Detectives of Shangani, Living in the Shade: Aiming for the Summit and Karafu: A freed Slave have all received CODE’s Burt Award for African Literature. She has nearly 30 published books including children’s picture books and textbooks. Nahida’s writing journey began when she went in search of books for her daughter but was disappointed at the lack of books written by and for Tanzanians, and so she decided to write them.
Nahida graduated from Goldsmiths College, University of London, with a BSc in Psychology and she completed a Masters in Child Development with Early Childhood Education at the Institute of Education, University of London. Nahida currently lives in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania and is a part-time writer and a full-time mother of two girls. She enjoys reading, cycling, mountain climbing, photography, and travelling. She has lived in London, UK; Cairo, Egypt; and Durban, South Africa. Nahida was the keynote speaker at the 2018 African Writers Conference in Abuja, Nigeria and a recipient of the African Writers Award of merit.
Namse Udosen will serve as a member of the jury. He holds a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degrees in Educational Administration and Planning from University of Calabar and Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. He is the author of Fundamental Etiquette for Young Nigerians and School Plant Management in Nigeria. He also has a free eBook for children Silly Sally which has been translated to Hausa language.
Namse is a teacher with a passion for children’s literature. His works have appeared in Writers Space Africa Magazine, Daily Trust Newspaper, Qwenu Magazine, Curriculum Studies Journal amongst others. He has featured as a special guest on radio and TV stations across Nigeria and several literary fora. He was named the Yasmine El Rufai Literary Foundation’s artist of the month for September 2020.
Namse is the President of Writers Space Africa (Nigerian chapter), He is also the Public Relations Officer for African Writers Development Trust and has served on the board of Jury for the Wakini Kuria Prize for Children’s Literature since 2019.
Additionally, Namse annually organizes the Tanar Kaduna Bookathon. This is a project that gets volunteers to create new culturally relevant books for Nigerian children.
Halieo Motanyane is a Mosotho woman, born and raised in Lesotho. She is a Film and Television Production professional, who specializes in Scriptwriting and Editing. She works for the Lesotho National Broadcasting Service as a Studio personnel and also presenters and edits a Children’s program about the Holy Bible.
Halieo is a writer of Short stories and Children’s Literature. She has most of her stories published online in WSA monthly magazine, Outcast magazine, FunDza and Ibua Journal. Her first Children’s book, Sekolong sa Mpho (translated Mpho’s School), was published in 2019 and it has been approved for use in the Grade 2 reading list in the curriculum of Government schools in Lesotho.
Halieo won the 2nd runner up position for the Wakini Kuria Award 2020 with her story Hessy and the Lost Tooth. This is due to be published in 2021. She currently writes and reviews for Writers Space Africa magazine and is currently the president of Writers Space Africa (Lesotho Chapter). She will serve as a member of the jury.
