Canex Prize announced, to take place in October
Saturday June 01 2024
The Canex Book Factory will spotlight and elevate the African book value chain through a Pan-African writing workshop, an e-newsletter highlighting African literature and the prize for publishing in Africa. PHOTO | SHUTTERSTOCK
Afreximbank has officially announced the launch of the Canex Prize for Publishing in Africa, a partnership between the Canex Book Factory and the Narrative Landscape Press Limited.
Canex was launched in 2020 by Afreximbank as a key driver for development and job creation in Africa, having recognised the relevance and opportunities provided by the cultural and creative industries.
The Canex Book Factory will spotlight and elevate the African book value chain through a Pan-African writing workshop, an e-newsletter highlighting African literature and the prize for publishing in Africa. This will culminate in the award ceremony to be held in Algiers from October 16 to 19, 2024.
A $20,000 prize will be awarded to the publisher of the best trade book. Trade books refer to books published for a general audience, including fiction, non-fiction, and poetry and excludes textbooks and academic books. Additionally, four finalists will each receive $2, 000 in prize money.
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The Executive Vice-President of Intra African Trade and Export Development Bank at Afreximbank, Kanayo Awani, said: “This prize underscores our commitment to nurturing Africa’s creative industries and supporting the vibrant literary landscape across the continent.”
“Through the Canex Prize, we aim to recognise and empower African authors and publishers who play a vital role in shaping our cultural identity and enriching our communities through literature in what is a multibillion-dollar industry.”
On the importance of initiatives such as Canex, renowned writer and novelist, Chimamanda Adichie said: “Imagine being an African, dreaming about being a writer, surrounded by people in a room who share the same interests, it propels you, it gives you hope. I’ve always believed that there is nothing more essential to the human spirit than hope. For me, Canex is about hope – the hope of many more African stories.”
Submissions will be judged on the quality of writing, editing and production. Priority will be given to books printed and produced on the African continent as well as to books published in indigenous African languages. A key concession for the inaugural year is that books published in the preceding two years will be considered.
Canex seeks to support the advancement and expansion of the creative and cultural economy, both within Africa and the diaspora utilising various financial and non-financial tools and initiatives.
Canex was launched in 2020 by the Afreximbank. The Canex Book Factory will spotlight the African book value chain through a pan-African writing workshop, an e-newsletter highlighting African literature and the prize for publishing in Africa. This will culminate in the award in Algiers, from October 16 to 19, 2024.
A $20,000 prize will be awarded to the publisher of the best trade book. Trade books are works published for a general audience, including fiction, non-fiction, and poetry, and exclude textbooks and academic books. The four finalists will each receive $2, 000 in prize money.
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The prize announcement was mad by Kanayo Awani, executive vice-president for Intra-African Trade and Export Development at Afreximbank.
"This prize underscores our commitment to nurturing Africa’s creative industries and supporting the vibrant literary landscape across the continent. Through the Canex Prize, we aim to recognise and empower African authors and publishers who play a vital role in shaping our cultural identity and enriching our communities through literature in what is a multi-billion-dollar industry,” he said.
About hope
Renowned writer Chimamanda Adichie said: “For me, Canex is about hope – the hope of many more African stories. Imagine being an African, dreaming about being a writer, surrounded by people in a room who share the same interests, it propels you, it gives you hope. I’ve always believed that there is nothing more essential to the human spirit than hope."
Submissions will be judged on the quality of writing, editing and production.
Priority will be given to books printed and produced on the continent as well as to books published in indigenous African languages.
A key concession for the inaugural year (2024) is that books published in the preceding two years will be considered.
By supporting the enabling environment for various creative sectors like fashion, music, film, art, literature, gastronomy, and sport, Canex seeks to support the advancement and expansion of the creative and cultural economy, both within Africa and the diaspora, utilising various financial and non-financial tools and initiatives.