Olúwatúnmiṣe Ọ̀tọ̀lórìn Akìgbógun and Daniella Oluwatomisin Kolade emerged as first runner-up and second runner-up respectively.
By Sybil Fekurumoh
Evidence Egwuono Adjarho has emerged as the winner of the inaugural Afrocritik Prize for Criticism for her review of three selected works by African writers.
The winner was selected by a panel of judges, which comprised Adedayo Agarau and Joshua Chizoma from Nigeria, and Kenyan writers Gloria Mwaniga Odary and Peter Ngila Njeri.
Adjarho’s review was praised by the judges for brimming in its observation of today’s society, narrating her reviews in flowing and concise language, which leaves no room for wastage. Her review was selected from a shortlist of five works, with Olúwatúnmiṣe Ọ̀tọ̀lórìn Akìgbógun, emerging in second place, and Daniella Oluwatomisin Kolade in third place. The other shortlisted writers are Victory Adewoye and Faith Emitse.
Adjarho is currently an undergraduate at the Department of English, University of Lagos, Nigeria. She has won the Atipo Prize for Book Review and the Ken Saro-Wiwa Prize for Book Review. Her personal essay is in the Kalahari Review, and her writings are in WSA-Nigeria, Readers Boon, and others. She will receive a cash prize of $300, while Akìgbógun and Kolade will be awarded receiving $200 and $100, respectively.
The Afrocritik Prize for Criticism was launched in 2024 to hallmark the third anniversary of the digital media platform. The initiative aims to encourage cultural engagement while promoting constructive criticism in the arts, which highlights the ethos at Afrocritik – a platform which celebrates African talent, literature, art, and culture.
The inaugural edition focused on literature, receiving entries of reviews of three works by African writers: Jerry Chiemeke’s Dreaming of Ways to Understand You, Peace Adzo Medie’s His Only Wife, and Dami Ajayi’s Affection and Other Accidents.
Click here to read the shortlisted works.