$20,000 up for grabs in Golden Baobab Prize for writers and illustrators of children’s books

 To celebrate International Children’s Book Day, Golden Baobab has launched the 2016 Golden Baobab Prizes. This is the 7th edition of the prize that was established in 2008 to support the development of children’s books by African writers and illustrators. 

The prize has received nearly 2000 entries since its beginning and its jury has included notable literary personalities such as Meshack Asare, Bernadine Evaristo and Nii Ayikwei Parkes. Funding for the prize has come from organizations such as Echoing Green, Tigo Reach for Change and the African Library Project.

To mark the launch of the 7th edition of the prize, executive director of the organization, Deborah Osei-Agyekum commented on the significance of launching on International Children’s Book Day. She remarked, “Golden Baobab has a long term commitment to supporting the growth of the African children’s literature space. We want to see more African children’s books in local and global marketplaces and the Golden Baobab Prize is how we start. This year’s prize is revamped with a new brand identity as we enter another chapter of our growth where we hope to establish long term corporate sponsorship for the prize.”

There are 4 prizes to be awarded: The Golden Baobab Prize for Picture Books, the Golden Baobab Prize for Early Chapter Books, the Golden Baobab Prize for Illustrators and the Golden Baobab Lifetime Achievement Prize. They come with $20,000 in prize money and publishing opportunities for winning stories. Golden Baobab is making a call out to African writers and illustrators to participate in the prize. More information can be found on their website: www.goldenbaobab.org.