The University of Johannesburg Prize for South African Writing in English (UJ Prize) is pleased to announce the winners of the debut and the main prize categories. This decision follows a rigorous adjudication process in which six judges from three universities evaluated a wide range of books published in 2024. This year’s panel comprised the following members:
1. Prof Ronit Frenkel (chair), University of Johannesburg
2. Prof Sikhumbuzo Mngadi, University of Johannesburg
3. Prof Marzia Milazzo, University of Johannesburg
4. Prof Rebecca Fasselt, University of Pretoria
5. Prof Grace Musila, University of the Witwatersrand
6. Prof Nedine Moonsamy, University of Johannesburg
The UJ Prize is open to published South African works in English. This has been an extraordinary year for the prize, as reflected in the selection of winners. The winners have been selected from a large number of remarkable entries in both categories.
Commenting on the process, Prof Ronit Frenkel, chair of the judging panel, remarked, “It has been a very difficult year to assess the entries, as we had so many excellent choices from both very well-known authors and new voices. As usual, we have read across genres to select our winners.”
The 2025 UJ Prize winners for books published in 2024 are as follows:
Debut prize winner:
• Weeping Becomes a River by Siphokazi Jonas
Jonas’s remarkable book impressed the judges, earning its place as one of the very few poetry collections to win the prize, which is open to all literary genres. Reflecting on the debut prize winner, Frenkel said, “Our debut winner is a new voice in South African poetry, who we believe is a rising star in the literary world.”
Main prize winners:
The task of adjudicating the main prize was challenging, as it was closely contested. Consequently, the judges named the following titles joint winners:
• The Comrade’s Wife by Barbara Boswell
• The Lost Love of Akbar Manzil by Shubnum Khan
“The joint main prize-winning texts this year are both novels that reflect South Africa’s extraordinary range with the genre, spanning realism to the gothic, in contemporary form,” said Frenkel. Congratulations to the winners and the nominees. The joint winners of the main prize will each receive prize money of R75,000, while the winner of the debut prize will be awarded R45,000. The top-three nominees in each of the respective categories will receive certificates of recognition. Congratulations to the winners and the nominees.“
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