ANA Announces New Literary Prize For Young Adult Literature

The Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) has announced a maiden literary prize for Young Adult Literature.

The HRM Eze M.O Kanu/ANA Prize for Young Adult, endowed by the estate of the deceased traditional ruler of Ezejie Autonomous Community of Arondizuogu in Ideato LGA of Imo State, awards a cash prize of N300,000 to the best young adult work annually.

It is aimed at immortalising the man’s legacy, promoting reading among youths, and aiding the development of Young Adult Literature in Nigeria.

Eligible works must be an original (physically published) work that has not been submitted for other prizes, and must have been published no later than 2024. Authors may submit no more than one work for the prize, while publishers can submit no more than one work per author. Submissions must also be made with a N10,000 entry fee to the association on or before June 30, 2026.

To adjudge the prize is a three-man jury consisting of a writer, a cultural administrator, and Chairman T.Y Buratai Literary Initiative, Dr Lizzy Ben-Iheanacho; Award-winning children’s writer and author, Jide Ogunlana, and writer and editor, Sonnie Okoh.

Post deadline, a shortlist will be announced in August 2026, while the winner of the prize will be unveiled at the ANA Awards/Gala Night set for November 2026, at the Mamman Jiya Vatsa Writers’ Village, Mpape, Abuja.