The Golden Baobab Prize
ごーるでん・ばおばぶしょう
Unpublished English-language short stories for children and young adults by African writers; annual prize with Junior, Senior and Rising Writer categories.
Children's literatureAfrican literary awardGhanaian literary awardPicture booksEarly chapter books
- Established
- 2008
- Organizer
- The Golden Baobab Foundation for Education
- Category
- Children's Literature, Fairy Tales, and Picture Books
- Selection Method
- Open call
- Target
- Open
- Frequency
- 1 per year
- Status
- Active
Description
Established in July 2008, The Golden Baobab Prize is an annual African literary award administered by The Golden Baobab Foundation for Education (Ghana). It accepts unpublished short stories in English by African citizens, with three categories—Junior (8–11), Senior (12–15) and Rising Writer (18 and under)—to encourage the creation of African children's and young adult literature. Submissions are by email and judged by a rotating panel of literary professionals.
Prize
- Main Prize
- Cash prizes awarded to winners in Junior, Senior and Rising Writer categories; historically winners received $800 (2008) and this was increased to $1000 for Junior and Senior in 2009/2010.
- Cash Prize
- 1,000 USD
Selection
Selection Process
| Stage | Judges | Pass Rate | Announcement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Submission | Organizers perform eligibility checks; entries are received by email. | null | Eligible entries proceed to shortlisting by the judging panel. |
| Shortlisting | Panel of invited judges (varies by year; past judges include Nii Ayikwei Parkes, Meshack Asare, Bibi Bakare-Yusuf, Bernardine Evaristo, Helon Habila, etc.) | null | Shortlist published by organizers (website/social media) prior to final judging. |
| Final judging & winners announcement | Final judging panel (varies by year) | null | Winners announced on the Golden Baobab official site and via social media/press. |
Submission
Judges
Organizers perform eligibility checks; entries are received by email.
Pass Rate
null
Announcement
Eligible entries proceed to shortlisting by the judging panel.
Shortlisting
Judges
Panel of invited judges (varies by year; past judges include Nii Ayikwei Parkes, Meshack Asare, Bibi Bakare-Yusuf, Bernardine Evaristo, Helon Habila, etc.)
Pass Rate
null
Announcement
Shortlist published by organizers (website/social media) prior to final judging.
Final judging & winners announcement
Judges
Final judging panel (varies by year)
Pass Rate
null
Announcement
Winners announced on the Golden Baobab official site and via social media/press.
Criteria
- Unpublished short story
- Geared toward children (Junior) or young adults (Senior) or Rising Writer (18 and under)
- Written in English
- Author must be an African citizen
- Originality, storytelling quality, age-appropriateness and cultural authenticity
Application Tips
Dos
- Submit an unpublished short story in English via the official submission channel (email).
- Target the intended age group (Junior: 8–11, Senior: 12–15, Rising Writer: 18 and under).
- Ensure the story demonstrates originality, clear voice and cultural authenticity.
- Include complete contact information and follow any formatting/guideline requirements on the official site.
Don''ts
- Do not submit previously published work.
- Do not submit stories not written in English (unless organizers specify otherwise).
- Do not ignore category age-targeting; mismatched submissions may be disqualified.
- Avoid poor formatting, missing contact details, or failure to follow submission instructions.
From Judges
- Prioritize strong storytelling and age-appropriate language rather than overly adult themes.
- Make characters and settings feel authentic to African experiences for greater impact.
- Clarity and economy of language are important in short fiction for young readers.
Related Awards
- Caine Prize for African Writing
- African Library Project opportunities
- Other children's literature and short story awards