Golden Baobab Prize has just announced this year's winners
& we sing congratulations !
GOLDEN BAOBAB PRIZE: PRESS RELEASE
Winners of the 2014 Golden Baobab Prizes
Accra, Ghana, November 13, 2014 - We
are proud to announce the winners of the 2014 Golden Baobab Prizes:
•
Portia
Dery, from Ghana wins the
Golden Baobab Prize for Picture Books with her story, Grandma’s List.
•
Mary
Ononokpono, from Nigeria, wins the Golden Baobab Prize for Early Chapter Books
for her story, Talulah the Time Traveler.
•
Xanele
Puren, from South Africa,
wins the inaugural Golden Baobab Prize for Illustrators. The Golden Baobab
Prize for Illustrators is the biggest and most prestigious prize committed to
discovering, nurturing and celebrating talented African illustrators of children’s stories.
The
2014 Golden Baobab Prizes for
Literature and Illustration received
nearly 300 submissions from writers and illustrators across Africa. The
longlist for the literature prizes was announced early September and showcased
11 stories, selected from 6 African countries. The shortlist followed late
October with 11 stories from Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa and Zimbabwe.
The illustration prizes unveiled 3 shortlisted artists; 2 from South Africa and
1 from Ghana. This year’s prize winners
represent three countries: Ghana, Nigeria and South Africa.
This is the sixth year of the Golden
Baobab Prizes, which were established in July 2008 to inspire the creation of
enthralling, culturally relevant African children’s
stories by African writers. “We
are proud of the contribution we are making to the children’s
literature and illustration world and are actively searching for exciting
partnerships to expand our reach and impact across Africa. We are seeking major
corporate partnerships by our next prize season to further propel our vision of
making the heads of children across Africa beautiful places for them to live!” says the Executive Director of Golden
Baobab.
Today,
the Prizes offer $20,000 in monetary awards, publishing opportunities for
winners of the Picture Book and Early Chapter Book Prizes, and the winner of
the Illustration prize attends a Golden Baobab award ceremony and a traveling
exhibition of artist’s illustrations.
Judges for the 2014 Golden Baobab
Prizes are Summer Edward,
Anansesem Caribbean Children's Literature Ezine founder and editor, Nancy
Drost, Seasoned international educator, Kinna Likimani,
Mbaasem Foundation board member and
celebrated book critic, Doreen Baingana, Multiple award-winning Ugandan author
and former chairperson FEMRITE, Nonikiwe
Mashologu, African children’s literature critic, Kanengo Diallo,
13-year old Tanzanian winner of the 2013 Golden Baobab Prize for Rising Writers, Paul
O. Zelinsky, International Award-winning American Illustrator and Writer and
Caldecott Medalist, Akua Peprah, Early Childhood Educator and Kofi Kokua Asante Anyimadu, 8-year
old Ghanaian book lover.
Also shortlisted
were:
•
Shaleen Keshavjee-Gulam (Kenya) –
Malaika’s Magical Kiosk
•
Mandy Collins (South Africa) –
There is a Hyena in my Kitchen
•
Myke Mware (Zimbabwe) –
The Big Ball
•
Bontle Senne (South Africa) –
The Monster at Midnight
•
Mamle Wolo (Ghana) –
Flying through Water
•
Hillary Molenje Namunyu (Kenya) –
Teddy Mapesa and the Missing Cash
•
Jayne Bauling (South Africa) –
The Saturday Dress
Last
year’s
winners of the Golden Baobab Prizes were Liza Esterhuyse and Karen Hurt from
South Africa and Kanengo Rebecca Diallo from Tanzania.
ABOUT THE GOLDEN BAOBAB PRIZES
The Golden
Baobab Prizes for literature was established in July 2008 and inspires the
creation of African stories by gifted African writers and illustrators to
captivate children’s
minds. The Prizes invite entries of unpublished stories and illustrations created by African
citizens irrespective of age, race, or country of origin. The Prizes are
organized by Golden Baobab, a Ghana-based pan- African social enterprise
dedicated to creating a world filled with wonder and possibilities for
children, one African story at a time. The organization’s Advisory Board includes renowned authors
Ama Ata Aidoo and Maya Ajmera. Golden Baobab is proudly supported by Echoing
Green and The African Library Project.
For further
information, photos or to arrange interviews, please contact: Eunice Ahenkorah
via info@goldenbaobab.org
Tel: +233 50 529 8941
***
Congratulations again to the winners! You make Africa proud
More about this and other news in our forthcoming WIN Newsletter, No 83
