Header image: Wisani Mushwana, Siphokazi Magadla, Jarred Thompson, Nthikeng Mohlele, Buntu Siwisa, Morabo Morojele

The shortlists for the annual University of Johannesburg Prizes for South African Writing in English have been announced.

The UJ Prizes are not linked to a specific genre, as, according to the organisers, the idea is to ‘open the prize to as many forms of creative writing as possible’.

The UJ Main Prize winner will receive R70,000, while the UJ Debut Prize comes with prize money of R35,000.

‘The judges were particularly impressed by the high quality of the entries, especially from the first-time author,’ prize coordinator Dr Siphiwo Mahala reports.

Debut Prize

• A Soft Landing (novel) by Wisani Mushwana
• Guerrillas and Combative Mothers: Women and the Armed Struggle in South Africa (non-fiction) by Siphokazi Magadla
• The Institute for Creative Dying (novel) by Jarred Thompson

Main Prize

• Breasts, etc. (novel) by Nthikeng Mohlele
• Paperless (novel) by Buntu Siwisa
• Three Egg Dilemma (novel) by Morabo Morojele