About The Caine Prize

The Caine Prize for African Writing is named in memory of the late Sir Michael Caine, former Chairman of Booker plc. Sir Caine was Chairman of Africa ’95 and Chairman of the Booker Prize management committee for almost 25 years.

The Caine Prize is open to writers from anywhere in Africa for work published in English. Its focus is on the short story, reflecting the contemporary development of the African story-telling tradition.

The first prize was awarded in 2000 at the Zimbabwe International Book Fair in Harare, and the 2001 Prize at the Nairobi Book Fair in September 2001.

The winner is announced at a dinner in Oxford in July, to which the shortlisted candidates are all invited. This is part of a week of activities for the candidates, including two major events as part of the Africa Writes weekend.