2018 Golden Baobab Prize announces judges

Pan-African literary organization, Golden Baobab, announces its jury for the 2018 Golden Baobab Prize, a panel comprising prominent international publishing and literacy professionals. Established to discover and present talented African writers and illustrators with opportunities to produce African children’s books, the Golden Baobab Prize invites entries of unpublished stories and illustrations by African citizens irrespective of age, race, gender or country of origin. It offers cash prizes as well as publishing opportunities to outstanding entries.   The 2018 judges for the Golden Baobab Prize are:

• Akoss Ofori-Mensah, Publisher, Sub-Saharan Publishers
• Kathy Knowles, Children’s writer, publisher and founder, Osu Library Fund
• Daphne Lee,ConsultingEditor, Scholastic Asia
• Sarah Odedina,Editor-at-Large, Pushkin Press
• Akua Peprah,Educator, The Lovett School
• Carol Williams,West Africa Regional Director, Worldreader

  “We are excited to present a jury this year that boasts an international group of literary professionals who care about getting diverse books to children.” says Eunice Ahenkorah, Program Manager of Golden Baobab. “As the Golden Baobab Prize celebrates its 10th anniversary this year, we look forward to a new chapter where we will establish meaningful partnerships with various organizations to increase our capacity to have more African children’s books published by our authors and illustrators”   Previous judges of the Golden Baobab Prize include renowned Ghanaian children’s writer and illustrator Meshack Asare, established British-Nigerian novelist and playwright Bernardine Evaristo, acclaimed Nigerian author Helon Habila, Caldecott Medal-winning American illustrator Paul Zelinksy and Ethiopian children’s literacy advocate & CNN Hero Yohannes Gebregeorgis.   Winners of the Prize have to gone on to see success in the publishing industry. Grandma’s List,a Golden Baobab Prize winning story by Ghanaian writer Portia Dery and published by African Bureau Stories, has won the 2018 Children’s Africana Book Award (CABA) organized by Africa Access and the Outreach Council of the African Studies Association in the U.S. The CABA Award sponsors include the African Studies departments of Harvard, Howard and Yale universities among others.   The winners of this year’s Golden Baobab Prize will be announced on December 15, 2018.   ABOUT THE GOLDEN BAOBAB PRIZES The Golden Baobab Prizes are a set of prestigious awards that celebrate outstanding African writers and illustrators of children’s literature. Established in 2008, the award honors unpublished manuscripts and illustrations for children that reflect the diversity of life, experiences and cultures across the African continent. Our aim to inspire the creation of more children’s stories by Africans for Africans. The Prizes are organized by Golden Baobab, a Ghana-based arts and culture literary nonprofit that works to increase representation of Africa in the children’s book world, by finding and supporting talented African children’s writers and illustrators and connecting them to book publishing opportunities.   For further information, photos or to arrange interviews, please contact: Eunice Ahenkorah via info@goldenbaobab.org   Tel: +233-558-703-417 Website:www.goldenbaobab.org              ]]>