The Lumina Foundation days ago issued a press release with regards to those who made the long list for the prestigious literary prize. According to the organizers who entered into a partnership deal with Globacom :
- The Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature in Africa was established in 2005 by The Lumina Foundation, as a Biennial Award to the best literary work produced by an African.

• It assesses works by African authors selected within the two years preceding the award year.

• It is intended to serve as an African equivalent of the Nobel Prize, particularly in recognizing and encouraging professional and personal excellence.

• At the moment, the Prize money of WS Prize is $20,000USD We are looking to increasing it in the near future.

• The omnibus nature of the Prize (Due to the fact that Prof WS writes in all the genres) has also been addressed. Each year, starting from 2014, the Prize will rotate through the following genres, in this order: Published Prose (Full length novels or collection of short stories by a single author), Drama, Poetry and finally collection of Essays (which may bother on political and human rights issues. Also memoirs may be accepted in this category)

The Award is given every two years and the last edition was jointly won by Kopano Matlwa (Coconut) and Wale Okedira (Tenants of the House).

This is the complete long list:

The Beauty I Have Seen — Tanure Ojaide

Bitter Chocolate — Toyin Adewale Gabriel

That Other Country — Hyginus Eku]wuazi

The Book of the Dead — Kgebetli Moele

The Unseen Leopard — Bridget Pitt

On Black Sister’s Street — Chika Unigwe

The African American — Dike-Ogu Chukwumerije

Roses and Bullets — Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo... read more on http://9aijabooksandmovies./2012/07/12/long-list-for-wole-soyinkas-prize-for-literature-in-africa-winner-gets-20000/