Natasha Sharma Wins The Asian Prize for Short Story 2024

 

The Jury of The Asian Prize for Short Story has announced the winner on December 15, 2024. 

Out of over 900 submissions, three stories made it to the shortlist: Litter by Shikhandin, The Perfect Life by Kushboo Shah, and The White Noise Lullaby by Natasha Sharma. Among them, Indian writer Natasha Sharma won The Asian Prize for Short Story 2024 for her work, The White Noise Lullaby. 

The Chair of the jury, Common Regional Wealth Prize-winning author Saras Manickam, mentioned that “The winning story, however, was a unanimous choice. Over and above, the best submission of all, it was a consistent standout in all the judges’ reports”

The judging panel consisted of:

Saras Manikkam (Malayasiya) The Chair

Agnes Chew (Singapore/Germany)

Alexander Nderitu (Kenya)

Taisiia Nakonechna (Ukraine/Belgium)

 

More info:  https://asian-reviews.com/2024/12/15/indian-writer-natasha-sharma-wins-the-asian-prize-for-short-story-2024

 

2024 ALEXANDER NDERITU PRIZE FOR WORLD LITERATURE LONGLIST

TheAfricanGriot.com has announced the longlist for the inaugural Alexander Nderitu Prize for World Literature. The ten longlisted stories were chosen from 72 entries originating from 13 countries around the world. 

The longlisted writers are:

1.          The Pregnant Ghost - Haliru Ali Musa (Nigeria)
2.          Ethiopian Night - Evanson Njuki (Kenya)
3.          A New Dawn - Maina Mary Njeri (Kenya)
4.          Mortuary - Ekenedirichukwu Anselm Alita (Nigeria)
5.          Call of the Sandy Tombs - Kaluwe Haangala (Zambia)
6.          That Last Kiss - Erick Kitheka (Kenya)
7.          Mama Tekla’s Sunset - J.E.Sibi-Okumu (Kenya)
8.          Harmony’s Echo - Maria Kegode (Kenya)
9.          Peace - Buhlebethu Sukoluhle Mpofu (USA/Zimbabwe)
10.        Beauty in a Mark - Kagira George (Kenya)

The submissions came from Nigeria, Kenya, Zambia, Kingdom of Eswatini, South Sudan, Zimbabwe, Poland, Malawi, The Gambia, Sri Lanka, USA, Botswana, and Tanzania. The youngest entrant was 19 years old while the eldest was 70. The jurors, who judged the stories on literary merit and fidelity to the 'Peace' theme, were drawn from Botswana, Nigeria, Kenya, Sri Lanka, and Sweden. 

 

Commenting on the longlist, juror Rupasinghe D. Pramudith (Sri Lanka) said:

“These captivating stories not only stand out as a testament to the undeniable power of English as a language spread across cultures, facing irreversible transformation from the ingenious languages of those who embrace it, but also celebrate the essential role that tales play in sustaining mankind’s collective memory and consciousness.”