In 2016 the Wasafiri New Writing Prize received over 600 entries again, with entries from twenty-eight countries spread around the globe — this year a new country added to our list was Belize. Within the UK, most of the entries came from outside London, with a strong contingent from Scotland in particular. As usual, we continue to receive wide support from other publications and arts organisations both in the UK and abroad in spreading information about the prize, which means we continue to build a worldwide network for the magazine.
The judges for the 2016 prize were all acclaimed writers who have won a range of awards themselves over the years. Fiction judge Diran Adebayo was named ‘one of the Best Young British Novelists’ in 2002; poetry judge Imtiaz Dharker was awarded the Queen’s Gold Medal for Poetry in 2014 and is also a recipient of the Cholmondeley Award; and life writing judge Vesna Goldsworthy has won awards for her poetry as well as having two international bestsellers serialised on BBC Radio 4. As usual, the judging panel was chaired by Susheila Nasta MBE, Founding Editor of Wasafiri and Emeritus Professor of Modern Literature at the Open University.
On 18 October 2016 we held an intimate evening of readings at a community project based in Limehouse in East London (<http://precinct.rfsk.org/home/yurt-cafe/>), where former New Writing Prize judges Romesh Gunesekera (fiction) and Anthony Joseph (poetry) joined 2016 judge Vesna Goldsworthy to read and announce this year’s winners. It was a lovely evening of humour and sharing, with a full house of around sixty people; and we were delighted that one of the winners was able to attend to collect her prize.
The Wasafiri team would like to thank everyone who helped with and supported the 2016 Wasafiri New Writing Prize: judges, entrants and everyone at the venue. We look forward to next year’s competition!
The shortlist for the 2016 Wasafiri New Writing Prize
Poetry
WINNER ‘Portrait of my father as a grouper’ by Danielle Boodoo-Fortuné
HIGHLY COMMENDED ‘Dogs who like fish’ by Zillah Bowes
‘Green Eyed’ by Elisabeth Sennitt Clough
‘“Daw” in the Snow’ by Alan Remfrey
‘Petrol Station’ by Simon Robson
Fiction
WINNER ‘Nobody Knows the Shivering Stars’ by Niamh MacCabe
HIGHLY COMMENDED ‘The Cheekovit’ by H M Aziz
‘A Pair of Silk Stockings’ by Helen de Burca
‘I am a forest, and a night of dark trees’ by Jarred McGinnis
Life Writing
WINNER ‘Massoumeh: An Iranian Family in Times of Revolution’ by Shiva Rahbaran
HIGHLY COMMENDED ‘Round Yard’ by Cheryl Anderson
‘Grey Monday’ by Rosemary Benzing
‘Skin’ by Alexandra Viets
‘September 1939’ by Dr Abby J Waterman