The Awele Creative Trust (ACT) has announced a six-name shortlist for the ACT Award 2017, following a four-month period of deliberation. Now in its fourth year, the N50,000 Awele Creative Trust Award is an annual short story prize conceived to encourage aspiring writers in Nigeria.

The shortlisted stories are:

•“The Goat Thief,” by Famous Ogbewe

•“With What Mouth Does One Tell This Kind of Story,” by Olakunle Ologunro

•“The Return,” by Imade Iyamu Oduduwa

•“This is How You Lose Your Mind,” by Tochukwu Okafor

•“Solving for X,”  by Dami Lare

•“Theatre of Tattered Things,” by Adams Adeosun

First awarded in January 2015 to Caleb Adebayo, the award has been judged by names like Justine Labalestier, Brian Chikwava, Toni Kan Onwordi, Madeleine Thien, Joe Dunthorne, Chibundu Onuzo, Vamba Sherif and Monica Arac d’Nyeko.

According to the organisation’s press statement, the shortlisted writers have “embraced the freedom that the  short fiction form offers to experiment, to be innovative, to mix old myths with new ones. Their stories are bold, touching and entertaining. Born between 1993 and 1998, these writers assure us that the future of writing is in good hands with Nigeria’s youth.”

Awele Creative Trust was set up in 2014 by award winning writer, Chika Unigwe, who is also its creative director. Prof. Akachi Ezeigbo, Prof. Femi Osofisan, Kanene Dieobi and Ichie Nnaeto Orazulike are the other board members of the non-profit organisation.