First Ethiopia Burt Award Celebrates Excellence in Young Adult Fiction
October 6, 2011
The first three recipients of the Ethiopia Burt Award for African Literature were announced at an official ceremony held at the Ethiopian Ministry of Education in Addis Ababa on August 27, 2011.
The first prize of $12,000 CAD went to Solomon Hailemariam for his novel The Young Crusader, while the second ($6,000 CAD) and third ($3,000 CAD) prizes were awarded to Ato Gebeyehu Ayele for Escape and Meron Tekleberhan for The Letters, respectively. All three books were published by CODE-Ethiopia and will be distributed to schools and libraries across the country.
Sponsored by CODE through the generous contributions of the Literary Prizes Foundation, the Burt Award for African Literature is an annual award recognizing excellence in young adult fiction from African countries. In addition to Ethiopia, the award is also presented in Tanzania, Kenya and Ghana. It addresses an ongoing shortage of relevant, quality books for young people, while promoting a love of reading and learning.
The award ceremony in Addis Ababa was presided over by Ethiopia’s State Minister for Education, Mr. Fuad Ibrahim, and Ms. Meaghan Buyers, First Secretary of the Canadian Embassy in Ethiopia. It was also attended by CODE-Ethiopia’s Executive Director, Mr. Tesfaye Dubale, and Ms. Ann Speak, who represented the Literary Prizes Foundation.
“It is through building a literate society that the desired development goal can be realized,” said Mr. Ibrahim in his remarks. “It is also through literature, among others, that society shares and conveys its long aged values and tradition to generations.”
As part of the competition, 52 experienced and emerging writers took part in a five-day capacity building workshop organized through CODE-Ethiopia. Out of these participants, 26 submitted manuscripts.
The winner of the first prize, Mr. Solomon Hailemariam, receives his award from Ethiopia’s State Minister for Education, Mr. Fuad Ibrahim.
CODE-Ethiopia’s Executive Director Mr. Tesfaye Dubale speaks at the Burt Award for African Literature award ceremony.
Read more about the Ethiopia Burt Award for African Literature and the award-winning titles.
