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The African Studies Association of Africa Pius Adesanmi Memorial Award for Excellence in African Writing

Professor Pius Adesanmi, a Nigerian-born, Canada-based scholar’s passing was a monumental loss to the global African Studies community. In his honor, the African Studies Association of Africa (ASAA) established the Pius Adesanmi Memorial Award for Excellence in African Writing.

The Award honors an outstanding single-authored book focused on Africa and/or the global African world biennially. Nominations for this prize should be submitted by or on behalf of a scholar, activist, and/or artist. The Award committee will consider books that cover any historical period and come from any discipline or combination of disciplines, published in English, French, Portuguese, or an African language. The Award committee is particularly interested in books that are theoretically, conceptually, and/or methodologically innovative and demonstrate excellence in African writing.

The winner of the Pius Adesanmi Memorial Award for Excellence in African Writing will receive a cash prize and a plaque in recognition of his/her achievement. S/he will also receive lifetime membership of the ASAA. Funding for the prize is made possible by the ASAA. Information on previous winners can be found at https://2019conference.as-aa.org/announcing-the-winner-and-finalists-of-the-2019-pius-adesanmi-memorial-award-
for-excellence-in-african-writing/

Eligibility
Submitted works must meet the following criteria:

  1. Be a single-authored book focused on Africa and/or the global African experience. Edited volumes will not be considered.
  2. Be published in English, French, Portuguese, or any African language.
  3. Have a copyright date of no more than four years prior to the year of the award. Books published between 2019 and 2022 will be eligible for the 2023 award.

Submission Criteria

  1. Entries will open on May 15, 2023 and must be received by July 31, 2023 to be eligible for the 2021 award. Nominations should be emailed to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
  2. Submissions of not more than three (3) books may be made by the publishers or authors of nominated books.
  3. Nominations for the award must include a short description of the book, its theoretical, conceptual, and/or methodological significance, and what makes it an example of excellence in African writing.
  4. Nominations must be accompanied by one electronic copy and six physical copies of the book for review by each member of the Award committee. Physical copies of submitted books will not be returned.
  5. Please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. after May 15, 2023 for details of the mailing address for physical books.

Announcement of Winner
The winner will be announced and recognized at a special ceremony during the closing banquet of the ASAA Biennial Conference in October 2023 Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of the Congo. The announcement will subsequently be posted on the ASAA website.

Enquiries
Prior to May 15, 2023, all enquiries should be sent to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. From May 15, 2023, please send all enquiries to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.