Ogaga Ifowodo’s poetry collection Why Does God Need a Gun? has won the 2026 NLNG Nigeria Prize for Literature. The winner was announced today, Friday, October 9, 2026, in Lagos.

The Second Selection of the Prix Renaudot 2026 was announced in Paris on Wednesday, October 7, 2026. Here are the writers of African descent who made the list.

Eduardo Quive and Sangare Okapi won the Prémio Literário Mia Couto 2026 announced in Beira, Mozambique, on Thursday, October 8, 2026.

Elizabeth Acevedo has won the NSK Neustadt Prize for Children’s and Young Adult Literature 2027, announced on Tuesday, September 29, 2026.

PEN International has expelled its centres in Kenya and Senegal from the global association of writers following decisions made at its 92nd Congress in September 2026.

Imani Mason Jordan, Keith Jarrett, and Shara McCallum are on the T.S. Eliot Prize 2026 shortlist announced on Monday, October 5, 2026.

The Festival Littératures Itinérantes 2026, themed "The World Written by Women," will take place in Rabat, Morocco, on October 10 – 11, 2026.

Samir Toumi’s novel amin, une fiction algérienne won Prix Éthiophile 2026 on Saturday October 3, 2026.

Our regular Book Digest segment spotlights new books by Dinaw Mengestu, Shafi Adam Shafi, Imbolo Mbue, and Nincemon Fallé.

The Festival International du Livre et des Arts Assimilés du Bénin 2026, themed "Literature, cultural mediation and the promotion of peace,” will be held in Cotonou, Bénin, from October 8 – 10, 2026.

Simbarashe Steyn Kundizeza was declared the winner of the Caine Prize for African Writing 2026 at a ceremony in London, UK, on Tuesday, October 6, 2026.

The shortlists for the Sunday Times Literary Awards 2026 were announced in Johannesburg, South Africa, on Sunday, October 4, 2026.

Giada Scodellaro and Nafissa Thompson-Spires are among the writers shortlisted for the Center for Fiction's 2026 First Novel Prize, announced on Wednesday, September 30, 2026.

Senegalese writer Cheikh Hamidou Kane, best known for his 1961 novel L'Aventure ambiguë, passed away on Saturday, October 3, 2026. He was 98.

The 13-title longlist for the CANEX Prize for Publishing in Africa 2026 was announced on Monday, October 5, 2026.

The inaugural Abuja Festival of Literature and Ideas will be held in Nigeria's capital from October 9 to 10, 2026.

Ooreoluwa O. Agbede is the winner of the ₦2,000,000 Quramo Writers' Prize 2026. The announcement was made in Lagos on Friday, October 2, 2026.

The Brazilian Book Chamber (CBL) announced the semifinalists for the Prêmio Jabuti 2026 on Tuesday, September 29. Below are the writers of African descent among them.

The New Voices Fiction Contest, run by Creatives Project Ghana, announced its longlist on Wednesday, September 30, 2026.

The Salon du livre de jeunesse de l'océan Indien 2026 will be held in Saint-Denis, La Réunion, from October 8 to 11, 2026.

In our ongoing series, we share opportunities for those who wish to submit work in October 2026, whether it be poetry, prose, or other related arts.

Maaza Mengiste and Bryan Washington are among the twenty MacArthur Fellows 2026 announced on Tuesday, September 29, 2026.

The second Grenada Book Festival will take place on Saturday, October 3, 2026, at the Grenada Trade Centre Annex in Morne Rouge.

Malika Lueen Ndlovu and Michelle Myeko Kekana won in their categories at the University of Johannesburg Prize for South African Writing in English 2026 on Tuesday, September 29, 2026.

The Umurage International Book & Arts Festival 2026, themed "The future is written: human voices, intelligent tools," will take place in Kigali, Rwanda, from September 30 to October 3, 2026.

The shortlist for the Élékéré Short Story Prize 2026 was announced on Monday, September 28, 2026.

The Quramo Festival of Words 2026, themed "Pieces of Us," will be held in Lagos, Nigeria, from October 1 – 4, 2026.

The finalists of the Radiate Rwanda Literary Excellence Awards 2026 were unveiled at a ceremony in Kigali on Friday, September 25, 2026.

Thélyson Orélien, whose novel C'était ça ou mourir had originally been on the Prix Goncourt 2026 first selection, was removed from the list on Friday, September 25, 2026, following accusations that he...

Ken N. Kamoche's Clan of Warriors won the Jomo Kenyatta Prize for Literature 2026 at the closing ceremony of the Nairobi International Book Fair 2026 on Saturday, September 26, 2026.

The Eastern African Literary and Publishing Networks in the 1960s and 1970s conference was hosted at University of Nairobi between August 10 – 11, 2026.

The Read to Impact (RTI) Lit Fest 2026 will be held in Jos and Lagos (Nigeria), Juba (South Sudan), and Buea (Cameroon) from September 26 – October 11, 2026.

The longlists for the US National Book Awards 2026 were announced between September 15 and 18, 2026. Here are the writers of African descent who made the cut.

The finalists for the Prémio Literário Mia Couto 2026 were announced in Beira, Mozambique, on Tuesday, September 8, 2026.

Our regular Book Digest segment spotlights new books by Mphuthumi Ntabeni, Nina Bouraoui, Derek Owusu, and Peace Mbengei.

Ana Maria Gonçalves is the headline act at A Festa Literária das Periferias 2026 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, running September 23–27, 2026.

Marlon James's The Disappearers is one of six books on the shortlist for the Booker Prize 2026, announced in London, UK, on Tuesday, September 22, 2026.

Thélyson Orélien's debut novel C'était ça ou mourir was named the winner of the Prix du Roman Fnac 2026 in Paris, France, on Monday, September 21, 2026.

The Nairobi International Book Fair 2026, themed “Read. Think. Lead.,” will be held at the Sarit Centre Expo from September 23 – 27, 2026.

Mohamed Mbougar Sarr is the headline act at the inaugural Maillage Festival at The Palais de la Porte Dorée, Paris, France, from September 25 – 27, 2026.

The Caine Prize for African Writing, in partnership with Pa Gya! Literary Festival, is calling for applications to a three-day self-editing workshop for emerging writers, to be held during this year's...

The five writers on the Quramo Writers’ Prize 2026 shortlist were revealed in Lagos, Nigeria, on Monday, September 21, 2026.

The Asmara-Addis Literary Festival (In Exile) 2026, themed “Literature & Art as an Antidote to Tribalism,” will be held in Brussels, Belgium, from October 15 – 17, 2026.

Charles Chanchori, Ken N. Kamoche, and Abenea Ndago have been shortlisted for the Jomo Kenyatta Prize for Literature 2026.

Ivorian writer, poet and philosopher Tanella Boni passed away in Toulouse, France, on Tuesday, September 15, 2026.

University of Johannesburg Prize for South African Writing 2026 Shortlists announced on Monday, September 14, 2026.