UJ Prize Shortlist for Books Published in 2024 announced
By City Life Arts writer
Things are hotting for University of Johannesburg UJ prize for South African Writing as those who stand to walk away with one of the much sought-after literary prizes in the country have been announced.
“The University of Johannesburg Prize (UJ Prize) for South African Writing is pleased to announce the shortlist for books published in 2024. The Prize opened for submissions on 26 November 2024 and closed on 28 February 2025.
The UJ Prize was established in 2006 for South African writing and is not genre-specific.
We trust our panel of judges to do a fair and rigorous evaluation of submitted texts and select the most outstanding books. Following an intensive adjudication process, the judges have shortlisted the following books in their respective categories:
Debut Prize
- Morafe: Person, Family and Nation in Colonial Bechuanaland by Khumisho Moguerane
- Weeping Becomes a River by Siphokazi Jonas
- Who Looks Inside by Anna Stroud
Main Prize
- Keorapetse Kgositsile and the Black Arts Movement by Uhuru Portia Phalafala
- The Comrade’s Wife by Barbara Boswell
- The Lost Love of Akbar Manzil by Shubnum Khan
The prize money is R75,000 (Seventy-Five Thousand Rand only) for the main prize, and R45,000 (Forty-Five Thousand Rand only) for the debut prize. The final results will be announced before the end of September 2025,” the organisers said in a media statement announcing the short list.