South African writer Nadia Davids has won this year’s Caine prize for African writing for her short story Bridling, described as a “triumph of language” by the chair of judges.
The prize, worth £10,000, is awarded annually to a short story by an African writer. Bridling, originally published in The Georgia Review in 2023, is told from the point of view of a female actor performing with other women in a show staging artworks by men that depict women. The story will be published in the Caine prize anthology, Midnight in the Morgue and Other Stories, to be published by Cassava Republic Press in the UK.
“Bridling is an impressive achievement, a triumph of language, storytelling and risk-taking while maintaining a tightly controlled narrative about women who rebel”, said judging chair and author Chika Unigwe. “It embodies the spirit of the Caine prize, which is to celebrate the richness and diversity of short stories by African writers.”
Davids is from Cape Town and currently lives in Los Angeles. She writes fiction, essays and plays, and her debut novel, An Imperfect Blessing, was published in 2014. Her next novel, Cape Fever, will publish in winter 2026. Her plays – At Her Feet, Cissie, What Remains and Hold Still – have been staged in Southern Africa and Europe.
Shortlisted for this year’s prize alongside Davids were Tryphena Yeboah, Samuel Kọ́láwọlé, Uche Okonkwo and ’Pemi Aguda. They will each receive £500 and have their stories published in the prize’s 2024 anthology.
“I was delighted by the range and ambition of this year’s shortlisted stories,” said Ellah Wakatama, chair of the prize’s board of trustees. “It is especially pleasing to see writers many will recognise and to introduce new voices. As we enter into our 25th year, it’s wonderful to have such a strong shortlist and the formidable Nadia Davids as our winner.”
Alongside Unigwe on this year’s judging panel was poet, artist and film-maker Julianknxx; writer, academic and film-maker Siphiwe Gloria Ndlovu; rapper Tumi Molekane, also known as Stogie T; and novelist Ayesha Harruna Attah.
This year’s prize had a record number of submissions, with 320 entries spanning 28 African countries. The prize, aimed at bringing African writing to a wider audience, was first awarded in 2000 to Leila Aboulela. It is named after Michael Harris Caine, former Booker prize management committee chair.
Recent winners of the prize include Idza Luhumyo, Meron Hadero and Irenosen Okojie. In 2023, Senegalese writing duo Mame Bougouma Diene and Woppa Diallo won the award for their story A Soul of Small Places.
