Judges
Eghosa Imasuen
Eghosa Imasuen, a Nigerian novelist and short story writer, was born in 1976. His second novel, Fine Boys, which chronicles the voices of Nigeria’s post-Biafra generation, was published in 2012 by Farafina. He has worked in publishing since 2013 and is co-founder of Narrative Landscape Press, a publishing services firm based in Lagos.
Eghosa studied medicine at the University of Benin. He lives in Lagos with his wife and twin sons.
Dr Ainehi Edoro-Glines
Dr Ainehi Edoro-Glines is an Assistant Professor of English at Marquette University, Milwaukee where she teaches Global Anglophone Literatures. She received her doctorate from Duke University. In her research, she studies the form, theory, and history of the African novel with the objective of defining how the African novel has helped reinvent the novel as a global form. She is the founder and Editor of Brittle Paper and Series Editor at Ohio University Press’s Modern African Writer’s imprint.
Toni Kan
Toni Kan holds both M.A and B.A degrees in English Literature from the universities of Lagos and Jos respectively. He worked as a journalist for 5 years, post-graduation and rose to the position of Editor at the age of 26 years, before moving on to work in banking and telecoms.
Author of 5 critically acclaimed works of fiction and poetry including The Carnivorous City, Nights of the Creaking Bed and When a Dream Lingers Too Long, Toni Kan has ghost-written 5 biographical works.
Kan, whose works and awards have taken him to the UK, Scotland, Germany, South Africa, Kenya, Switzerland and Italy amongst others is co-founder of Radi8 ltd, sabinews.com and The TMTR Training Room, a skills based, practice-led, certificate awarding institute focused on the media and creative industries.
Yejide Kilanko
Yejide Kilanko was born in Ibadan, Nigeria. She is a writer of poetry, fiction, and a therapist in children's mental health. Her debut novel, Daughters Who Walk This Path, was first published by Penguin Canada in April 2012 and Farafina Books in 2014. Her novella, Butterflies, is forthcoming from Quramo Publishing. A lover of good music and laughter, Kilanko and her family live in Ontario, Canada.
Criteria for Judging
Work will be judged on the criteria set out below (note: judges may consider any other factors they deem appropriate)
- Excellence of writing
- Use of language
- Interpretation and style of writing
- Level of interest to the general public of the subject matter
- Potential commercial success of the book
