Celebrating Diverse African Voices: Announcing the Shortlist for the Inaugural Iskanchi Magazine Prize

We are thrilled to announce the shortlist for the inaugural Iskanchi Magazine Prize! We received so many incredible stories from talented writers across Africa, narrowing down our finalists was no easy task. Each shortlisted writer has shown remarkable skill in storytelling, presenting unique and compelling narratives that reflect diverse voices and experiences. We are honored to celebrate these nine exceptional writers, whose work will be featured in the upcoming issue of Iskanchi Magazine. Stay tuned for the announcement of the prize winners, and join us in celebrating the shortlisted writers.

1. Delight Chinenye Ejiaka (Nigeria)

2. Fọpẹ́ Ojó (Nigeria)

3. Olorunfemi Olaleye (Nigeria)

4. Som Adedayor (Nigeria)

5. Rodney Nayo (Ghana)

6. Ejiro Elizabeth Edward (Nigeria)

7. Patrick Ochieng (Kenya)

8. Noni R. Mwangi (Kenya)

9. Mark Kennedy Nsereko (Uganda)

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MEET THE SHORTLISTED WRITERS

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Delight Chinenye Ejiaka

Delight Chinenye Ejiaka is a writer whose works investigates melodramatic women, female hysteria and consciousness in the marketplace. Her works have appeared in Isele Magazine, Michigan Quarterly Review, Desert Companion, World Literature Today, and Whale Road Review. She was a finalist for the Wasnode Fiction Prize, Ray Ventre Non-fiction prize, frontier global poetry prize, Disquiet Literature Prize. She is a Macdowell Fellow and Aspen Words Fellow.

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Fọpẹ́ Ojó

Fọpẹ́ Ojó is from Lagos, Nigeria and lives between Amsterdam and Lagos. She is an alumnus of Purple Hibiscus Workshop in Awka, Anambra, Sonic Acts Critical Writing Workshop in Amsterdam, and the Iceland Writers Retreat. Her work has appeared in Overland, Necessary Fiction, Cherry Tree, Sleek Magazine, Native to name a few. Her short stories have been nominated for the Best of Net in Fiction and the Pushcart Prize. Her short fiction was longlisted for the 2023 Elizabeth Jolley Short Story Prize and the 2020 Commonwealth Short Story Prize. She was also longlisted for the 2023 Mslexia Novel Writing Competition.

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Olorunfemi Olaleye

Olorunfemi Olaleye is a Nigerian writer, cinephile, and glass scientist. When he's not researching on glass and ceramic materials, he writes stories and a weekly newsletter, "Leye's Thoughts In Ink" on substack that addresses the Nigerian human condition.

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Som Adedayor

Som Adedayor is Nigerian. His writing has been published in (or forthcoming from) Lolwe, adda stories, The Offing, The Republic Journal, Iskanchi Magazine, etc., and has been shortlisted for The Gerald Kraak Prize (2024), Iskanchi Magazine Prize (2024), longlisted for Koffi Addo Prize for Nonfiction (2019), and placed third at the Punocracy Prize for Satire.

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Rodney Nayo

Rodney Nayo is a 23-year-old introverted African futurist whose ambition is to re-wire the mindsets of ordinary people and get them thinking that being weird is the new awesome. Born and raised in Accra, Ghana, his works have appeared in Brittle Paper and Writers Space Africa. He loves movies as he grew up watching all kinds of genres, especially documentaries. He loves to write on the theme of African-futurism because he is most nervous about what his future will turn out to be. 

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Ejiro Elizabeth Edward

Ejiro Elizabeth Edward is a passionate lover of the arts. She has been published across several literary platform and has won a couple of awards . She is the convener of Benin Arts and Book Festival. She is currently pursuing her masters in creative writing at the Iowa State University where she got a fully funded scholarship. Find her on twitter: Ejiroedward552 and on instagram: ejiro_elizabeth_edward. 

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Patrick Ochieng

Patrick Ochieng is a lawyer who resides on the shores of the world’s second biggest fresh-water-lake Victoria, the locals call –Nam Lolwe. His novel – Playing a Dangerous Game was published in 2021. His YA novel, Displaced is forthcoming. Its translation in Portuguese titled, Deslocados, was published in June 2024 in Brazil. His stories have appeared in, Munyori , Kikwetu, The Shallow Tales Review, Isele Magazine, Brittle Paper, and the Anniversary Anthology of, The Short Story Is Dead Long Live the Short Story. He was shortlisted for the Golden Baobab writing prize 2010.

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Noni R. Mwangi

Noni R. Mwangi is a Mombasa-born Kenyan currently living in Nairobi. She writes poetry, prose, and the genre bending. Her work seeks to explore sociological, intrapersonal, and interpersonal relationships from an autobiographical perspective. Her creative non-fiction has been published in Agbowó (TRANSITION Issue), Akéwì (GENESIS Issue), and The Kalahari Review. Noni's keen on matters good food and music; nature trails and green spaces; and the people's journey - including hers as a Black African cis-female, and ally - towards our holistic definition(s) of true freedom. X: nonipurplerose

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Mark Kennedy Nsereko

Mark Kennedy Nsereko is a Muganda writer. His work is a glimpse into the orchestra of beautiful chaos that is his mind. These glimpses have been featured in the poetry anthology I Promise This Song Is Not About Politics, Brittle Paper, and African Writer.

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