Zimbabwean writer Simbarashe Steyn Kundizeza has won the 2026 Caine Prize for African Writing, according to an announcement published on the Caine Prize website.
Mr Kundizeza beat four other writers shortlisted for the prize, including Nigerian writer Akinwande Remilekun Jordan, who was the only Nigerian on this year’s shortlist.
Mr Jordan was the only Nigerian on this year’s shortlist, with his short story, So Long It’s Starting To Look Like Eternity, competing with stories from Kenya, Cameroon, Egypt and Zimbabwe. The story was published by Naira Books in the anthology A House That’s Not A Home.
The judging panel was chaired by Nigerian broadcaster and journalist Bola Mosuro, who led a five-member panel that selected Mr Kundizeza as the winner.
The Zimbabwean author won the £10,000 prize for his short story, The Blue Fighter, which was published by The Shallow Tales Review.
The win makes Mr Kundizeza the third Zimbabwean to win the main Caine Prize, after Brian Chikwava won in 2004 and NoViolet Bulawayo won in 2011. Nigeria has had seven winners since 2001, including Helon Habila, Segun Afolabi, E.C. Osundu, Rotimi Babatunde, Tope Folarin, Lesley Nneka Arimah and Irenosen Okojie.
A story about family and money
The story follows a young boy named Tinashe and his family as they struggle with money after his father leaves his job to build fish tanks.
As the family runs out of money, Tinashe’s mother must decide between supporting her husband’s dream and making sure the family can survive.
At first, The Blue Fighter sounds like a story about fish tanks, but it’s really about a family facing hard times.
Tinashe’s father becomes so focused on building fish tanks that the family begins to suffer. His mother has to find ways to keep the home running while dealing with her husband’s dream.
This makes the fish tanks more than just objects in the story. They become a symbol of the father’s dream and the price the family pays for it.
Mr Kundzeiza said the story grew from a poem by Vangile Gantsho that he came across during the LOATAD Black Atlantic Residency in Accra.
He said the poem made him think about “tenderness” and the need to keep going, which later shaped the story. He also said he wrote the first draft in one sitting, then revised it to improve the story.
Kundizeza beats four other writers
Mr Kundizeza was one of five writers shortlisted for this year’s prize.
The other shortlisted writers were:
Gladwell Pamba of Kenya, The Last Shop
Melara Mvogdobo of Cameroon, Dieu Merci!
Akinwande Jordan of Nigeria, So Long Now It’s Starting To Look Like Eternity
Yasmine Zohdi of Egypt, The Absence of Stains
Ms Mosuro described the story as “gripping, moving and beautifully crafted,” saying Mr Kundizeza captures “the complexities of family, denial and devotion with remarkable emotional power.” She added that the story is told in a “deceptively simple manner” but has “a profound and lasting impact.”
Who is Simbarashe Kundizeza?
Mr Kundizeza is a Zimbabwean writer based in Harare.
He is an Associate Editor at African Writer Magazine. His work has also appeared in Transition Magazine, The Wrong Patient and Other Stories from Africa and The Shallow Tales Review.
His novel manuscript, Freelance, won the 2024 Island Prize for Debut African Fiction. He was also a finalist in the 2018 Africa Book Club Short Story Competition and took part in the 2025 LOATAD Black Atlantic Residency.
What the prize means
The Caine Prize was first awarded in 2000. It is given each year for a short story written by an African and published in English.
The winner receives £10,000, while each of the other shortlisted writers receives £500.
For Mr Kundizeza, the win also signals that the time he has spent writing alongside his other responsibilities has been worth it.
He said the recognition has given him more confidence to keep making time for writing.
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