On the 12th of January 2025, the winners of the second edition of the Abebi Award in AfroNonfiction were awarded. 

The award is a creation of the Abebi Institute founded by Mofiyinfoluwa O. and named after her maternal grandmother to celebrate bold women writers who are unshackled by cultures of silence and shame, belting the chorus of their voices for all to hear. The first edition received almost ninety applications. However, there was a 300% increase in the submissions for the 2024 Abebi Award in AfroNonfiction, with them receiving 250 applications.

Excerot from the founders note says:

❝ The Award received nearly three times the amount of submissions from its inaugural year, proving to me that there is indeed a demand and a hunger for the growth and development of this precious genre that I have found both refuge and victory in. Receiving entries from every geopolitical zone, and from diverse age ranges, I remain firmly committed to the truth there are stories woven into the fabrics of our voices as women in this country, and we at The Abebi AfroNonfiction Institute will continue to strive to give these stories a place of pride and prominence in this world. ❞

Winners of the 2024 Abebi Award in AfroNonfiction

The 2024 Winner and runner-up of the Abebi Award are:

• Winner

Mariam Oyewunmi Tijani, My Grandma’s Memory Box 

• Runner Up

Ifeoluwa Williams, Genesis: Notes on Body Dysmorphia

• Notable Entries

Azeeza Adeowu, I Know How Stories Like Mine End 

Fatima Abdullahi, Roots

Shalom Tewobola, A Molue Epiphany

The winning essays are available on the Isele Magazine website. Congratulations to all the winners. 

Read this article on Eloquent Writing to learn how to write better. You can also read this to learn how to make money from your essays.