This is the third year of the Isele Prizes! This initiative continues to celebrate brilliant and defiant short stories, poems, and essays by writers published in Isele Magazine.

For this edition, we considered over 190 works, which made narrowing down the longlists quite challenging. Because we considered photo essays for the first time, we expanded the Isele Nonfiction Prize category to a total of 12 works. Also, 11 stories appear on the Isele Short Story Prize list, while a total of 10 single or clusters of poems made the Isele Poetry Prize list.

We are delighted to share that these works capture our mission, which is to provide a platform for works that hold a mirror to our society, works that continually remind us of the transformative power of stories and the beauty of language.

On that note, here are the longlists according to their categories and in no particular order:

The Isele Nonfiction Prize

“Dear Father, I Write to You From the Land of the Living” by Ucheoma Onwutuebe

“A Few More Words About Breasts” by Gloria Mwaniga

“Neither Here Nor There: Muslim Women & Resistance” by Izza Ahsan

“Lagoon Front” by Izehi Amadasu

“Photo Series” by Tushar Gidwani

“Waist Beads” by Ber Anena

Photo Essay by Hassnain Riza

“How To Speak of a Miracle” by Joshua Chizoma

“The Branches and the Wind and the Rain” by Zenas Ubere

“Silence is Not My Culture (Kwuo Okwu Gi)” – Nora Nneka

“Faint Lines” by Nwanne Agwu

“Queer Resistance Can Be Many Things Including Dark” by obed hailsham

The Isele Poetry Prize

“Instead Of Measuring My Life In Productivity” by Melissa Sussens

“Elegy” by Kharys Ateh Laue 

“little joys (in no particular order)” by Adebisi Amori

“Two Poems” by Claire Pinkston

“Two Poems” by Omodero David

“Three Poems” by Erinola Daranijo

“Two Poems” by Godwin Adah    

“Gurl” by Taiwo Hassan

“Five Poems” by Annalisa Hansford

“Two Poems” by Chiwenite Onyekwelu

Isele Short Story Prize

“fritɔŋ surreal” by Victor Forna

“The Dinner Party” by Percy Bharucha

“To Live a Little” by Alissia J.R. Lingaur

“Atlas Raging Gale” by Mohamed Mahou

“Dreams of a City” by Nawawi Sani-Deen

“Propane, Propane”  by Alex Leslie

“Is it Too Late?” by Pegah Ouji

“Potential for Beauty” by Nelson CJ

“Parental Material” by Crystal Gross

“Origin Of Giant Trees” by Elisha Oluyemi

“She Lingers” by Okoronkwo Chisom

Important Dates

  • Longlists Announcement: March 6, 2024
  • Shortlists Announcement: April 8, 2024
  • Winners Announcement: May 21, 2024

See here for the all the latest news and updates about the prizes.