Zimbabwean writer NoViolet Bulawayo has been awarded the 2025 Best of Caine Award for her short story, “Hitting Budapest” (Photo credit: NyeLynTho)
Read the winning story here.
The Caine Prize for African Writing is delighted to announce that Zimbabwean writer NoViolet Bulawayo has been awarded the 2025 Best of Caine Award for her short story, “Hitting Budapest”, which originally won the Prize in 2011.
Marking the Prize’s 25th anniversary, the Best of Caine Award is an honorary prize celebrating the most outstanding winning story from the Prize’s 25 year history. Ellah Wakatama OBE, Chair of the Caine Prize, announced NoViolet Bulawayo as the winner at the inaugural Words Across Waters Afro Lit Festival on Saturday, 27 September 2025.
This year’s judging panel, comprised of Nobel Laureate Abdulrazak Gurnah (Chair); award-winning author Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi; and critically acclaimed film producer Tony Tagoe.
Speaking on the winning story, Abdulrazak Gurnah said: “It was a tremendously impressive collection of stories to read through, but the decision to award the Best of Caine Prize to No Violet Bulawayo was unanimous and swift. The judges were impressed with the control of voice the story demonstrated and the superb evocation of a childhood vision.”
Speaking on receiving the award, NoViolet Bulawayo said: “I wish to thank the Caine Prize and the judging panel for this incredible honor. Winning the Caine Prize as an unpublished writer back in 2011 was truly the kind of defining highlight to jumpstart a career. It brought my work to a global audience, affirmed my literary path, and strengthened my confidence and commitment to writing so that finishing a first novel worthy of the recognition bestowed on me by Africa’s most prestigious literary award – my first ever recognition – was non-negotiable. Now, receiving the Best of Caine Award these many years later feels like a moment to reflect on the journey.
“I warmly congratulate the twenty-four remarkable winning authors and finalists whose works have helped define the prize up to this moment. That many have gone on to build distinguished careers, producing diverse and influential works that continue to challenge, expand, enrich, and reimagine what African literature can be, speaks to the indelible impact of the prize. It is twenty-five years of consistency, excellence, and vision – our present is vibrant, and the future promises even more. And it is to the future writers still to come, those whose voices we are yet to hear, that I dedicate this Best of Caine Award—I am truly excited to read you all, and witnessing how you continue to shape the landscape of African literature.”
The Caine Prize for African Writing has played a pivotal role in shaping the careers of African writers, offering unmatched global visibility and opportunities, including publishing deals and writing fellowships.