The Dinaane Debut Fiction Award celebrates first-time authors, accepting manuscripts that are unpublished works of fiction in English or translations from other South African languages.

The judging panel, led by Rehana Rossouw (Head Judge), Jennifer Malec and Robert Muponde, reviewed over 60 manuscripts. After some careful deliberation, a longlist of six submissions was made. With a distinguished career spanning three decades in journalism and writing both fiction and non-fiction, Rehana Rossouw brought her expertise to the judging process. As the founding editor of The Johannesburg Review of Books and publisher of The Reading List, a news website for books and the publishing industry, Jennifer Malec brought a wealth of literary insight to the panel. Robert Muponde, a critic, editor, writer and literary scholar with a PhD in English, strengthened the judging process with his vast range of experience.

From the longlist, three exceptional manuscripts were selected for the shortlist: Buried in the Chest by Lindani Mbunyuza-Memani, Jacaranda Days by Zoe Ngombane and The Price of Blood in Pretoria by Alasdair Cameron. The winner from the shortlist will receive a prize of R35,000 and a publishing contract from Jacana Media. The Winner Announcement Ceremony will take place on Thursday, 11 July 2024 at 18h00 SAST. 

2024 Dinaane Debut Fiction Award: Winner Announcement Ceremony