Literary award · internationality · since 2017

Nommo Awards

African speculative fiction award in four categories (2017–). Established 2017 in internationality.

About Nommo Awards

The Nommo Awards are literary awards presented by The African Speculative Fiction Society. The awards recognize works of speculative fiction by Africans, defined as "science fiction, fantasy, stories of magic and traditional belief, alternative histories, horror and strange stuff that might not fit in anywhere else." The Nommo Awards have four categories: Best Novel, Novella, Short Story, and Graphic Novel. They are named after the Nommo, ancestral spirits from Dogon cosmology who take a variety of forms, including appearing on land as fish, walking on their tails.

From the Wikipedia article “Nommo Awards”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Recent winners

YearWinnerWinning work
2024Stephen Embleton—
2021The Death of Vivek Oji—
2021Ife-Iyoku, the Tale of Imadeyunuagbon—
2020Suyi Davies OkungbowaDavid Mogo, Godhunter
2017Binti—
—The Old Drift—
—Tlotlo Tsamaase—
—Chinelo Onwualu—
—Masande Ntshanga—

From Wikidata; the list may be incomplete for some years.

Eligibility and entering

Check the official rules of the Nommo Awards for the current eligibility window, accepted formats, residency or language requirements and any entry fee. For most established prizes the publisher submits on the author's behalf, often with a limit on entries per imprint.

If you are self-published, look for an explicit statement that independently published books are accepted, and budget for entry fees and copies for judges.

Sources & data