African  Writing  Prize  for  Flash  Fiction   2011 - Results

We are grateful for all the entrants to this competition. 151 entries were received from sixteen countries in this inaugural edition of the prize. Entries were judged blind, with the final selection of the short-list made by Sarah Ladipo Manyika, the competition judge, whose letter follows the list of winners.

Winning entries will feature in the next edition of the magazine. We look forward to the next competition!

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8 Short-listed Stories

Brother's Keeper	Osemhen Akhibi	Nigeria
Making Sense	Bev Clark	Zimbabwe
Prey	Jeff Unaegbu	Nigeria
Settling	Jayne Bauling	South Africa
The Fare	Saaleha Idrees Bamjee	South Africa
The Place of Doves	Judy Croome	South Africa
Through My Strange Eyes	Folakemi Emem-Akpan	Nigeria
Waiting	Onyinye Ihezukwu	Nigeria

 

Overall Winner: Settling, by Jane Bauling

 

A Letter from the Competition Judge

Dear writers,

Thanks so much for submitting your writing for this competition!  It was a pleasure reading the long-list of 15 submissions and I was excited to see a wide range of topics addressed in these short pieces as well as a diverse set of writing styles. Many of you were unafraid to experiment with the form, which I think is always a good thing.  Although not everyone wins in these competitions, I can honestly say that there were kernels of good writing and creative thought in most of the submissions.  Flash fiction may be short, but it is just as challenging as any other form of writing.  One of the best definitions of good flash fiction (also known as short short fiction) that I have found comes from the Vestal Review, a literary journal devoted to this genre.  Here is what they have to say about a strong piece of flash fiction.

 “A good flash, replete with a cohesive plot, rich language and enticing imagery, is perhaps the hardest type of fiction to write. A good flash is so condensed that it borderlines poetry. A good flash engages your mind not only for the short duration of its read, but for a long time after.”   

As I selected stories for this shortlist, I looked for these qualities – strong writing combined with a compelling and memorable story. Congratulations to all of you for submitting your work and very special congratulations to the shortlisted winners and to the overall winner.  I hope you enjoy reading each other’s work.

Best,

Sarah

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prize announcement