The Caine Prize for African Writing
The Caine Prize for African Writing is a UK-registered nonprofit charity, founded in 2000, that awards an annual international literary prize for short fiction by African authors and publishes annual anthologies of shortlisted stories. It is administered by Africa 95 and serves African writers and literary readers globally.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded-
- Headquarters—
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What The Caine Prize for African Writing does
The Caine Prize for African Writing is a UK-registered nonprofit charity (Charity registration number England and Wales 1039039) founded in 2000 and administered by Africa 95. It operates a single flagship annual literary prize awarded to an African author for a short story, described by the organization itself as "the foremost international literary prize for a short story by an African author." Beyond the prize itself, the organization publishes annual anthologies of the winning and shortlisted stories, creating a recurring published content line that extends its reach into bookshops and libraries internationally. Distribution is centered on the official website (caineprize.com), which also serves as the submission portal and the channel for anthology purchases.
The organization is structurally a small charity with approximately 9 employees and no disclosed subsidiaries, investors, or institutional funders. Its "customers" in a conventional sense are dispersed: African writers who submit entries, literary readers who purchase anthologies, and implicitly the donors and sponsors who fund the prize money and operational costs (though none are named in source material). The value proposition centers on international recognition, publication opportunity, and modest financial support for African short fiction writers — a niche the Caine Prize has held for over two decades.
The technology footprint is minimal: the website is built on Squarespace, there are no apps, APIs, or disclosed proprietary systems, and there are no AI/ML capabilities referenced. Revenue mechanics are characteristic of a small literary charity — likely a combination of donations, grants, sponsorship of prize money, and modest anthology sales — but no financials are disclosed. The most recent operational signal is an active website refresh (© 2026 copyright, with a "being updated" notice on the homepage), indicating continued operation but no visible strategic acceleration.
The Caine Prize for African Writing firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Caine Prize for African Writing
- Legal name
- The Caine Prize for African Writing
- Website
- https://caineprize.com
- Company type
- Private
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- The Caine Prize for African Writing is a UK-registered nonprofit charity, founded in 2000, that awards an annual international literary prize for short fiction by African authors and publishes annual anthologies of shortlisted stories. It is administered by Africa 95 and serves African writers and literary readers globally.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Caine Prize for African Writing industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Literary Awards
- NAICS
- Book Publishers (51313), Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Literary Arts & Writing Organizations (BPAGAHAK)
Keywords
The Caine Prize for African Writing business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels1 record
The Caine Prize for African Writing product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Caine Prize for African Writing runs an annual international literary award for the best short story by an African writer, awarding a GBP 10,000 prize to the winner and GBP 500 to each of up to four shortlisted authors. Each year's shortlisted entries and winning story are compiled into a print and digital anthology published by Cassava Republic Press, sold to readers worldwide, while shortlisted stories are also broadcast in partnership with the BBC.
Product overview
The Caine Prize for African Writing operates as a single-product literary prize organization centered on its flagship annual award for African short story writing. The core offering is The Caine Prize itself, which recognizes and amplifies African writers and their stories on an international stage. The organization also publishes annual anthologies featuring the winning and shortlisted stories, extending the reach of the prize through printed collections. The portfolio is a unified offering rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- The Caine Prize for African Writing Annual international literary award for the best African short story; eligible to African writers globally, with shortlisted and winning stories published in the annual anthology and broadcast on the BBC.
- Caine Prize Anthology Annual printed and digital book collection of the shortlisted and winning Caine Prize stories, published by Cassava Republic Press and sold to general literary readers.
Companies that use The Caine Prize for African Writing
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
The Caine Prize for African Writing technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
The Caine Prize for African Writing partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Africa 95coreAfrica 95 is the administrative body that administers the Caine Prize for African Writing. Africa 95 is a registered charity in England and Wales (charity registration number 1039039). The organization manages the operations, prize administration, and overall management of the literary prize.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves4 records
Expansion highlights3 records
The Caine Prize for African Writing competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Windham-Campbell Prizes: Yale-administered literary prizes awarded to writers for body of work or specific genres. Direct peer in administering high-profile literary prizes that provide financial support and recognition to writers, with a similar awards-plus-publications ecosystem.
- Commonwealth Short Story Prize: Annual short story award for writers from the Commonwealth, including African nations. Direct peer in targeting short fiction writers across the Commonwealth/African geographies, with annual submission cycles and international recognition for emerging writers.
- The Booker Prize Foundation: UK-based literary prize organization administering the Booker Prizes for fiction. Direct peer as a similarly structured foundation running a prestigious annual literary award with companion publications and a comparable mission of literary recognition and amplification.
- O. Henry Prize: Long-running annual short story prize (formerly O. Henry Awards) producing an anthology of the year's best short fiction. Direct peer as a prestigious short story award with a companion anthology and a long track record of recognizing short fiction excellence.
- Neustadt International Prize for Literature: Biennial international literary prize administered by the University of Oklahoma. Direct peer as an internationally recognized literary award with juror-based selection, prize purse, and accompanying publications of winning works.
- BBC National Short Story Award: UK-based annual short story prize administered with the BBC. Direct peer as a UK-anchored short fiction award with a publishing partnership, annual anthology, and comparable format of annual cycle with shortlisted writers.
Broad incumbents
- PEN International: Global literary nonprofit organization promoting literature and freedom of expression. Comparable as a larger, broader-mission literary nonprofit that operates award and fellowship programs supporting writers internationally, though with a much wider portfolio than the Caine Prize's single-prize focus.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
The Caine Prize for African Writing social profiles
Digital presenceThe Caine Prize for African Writing financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Caine Prize for African Writing leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
The Caine Prize for African Writing funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Caine Prize for African Writing M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Caine Prize for African Writing
What does The Caine Prize for African Writing do?
The Caine Prize for African Writing runs an annual international literary award for the best short story by an African writer, awarding a GBP 10,000 prize to the winner and GBP 500 to each of up to four shortlisted authors. Each year's shortlisted entries and winning story are compiled into a print and digital anthology published by Cassava Republic Press, sold to readers worldwide, while shortlisted stories are also broadcast in partnership with the BBC.
Is The Caine Prize for African Writing a public or private company?
The Caine Prize for African Writing is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was The Caine Prize for African Writing founded?
The Caine Prize for African Writing was founded in -1. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Who are The Caine Prize for African Writing's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Windham-Campbell Prizes, Commonwealth Short Story Prize, The Booker Prize Foundation, O. Henry Prize, Neustadt International Prize for Literature and BBC National Short Story Award. PEN International is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does The Caine Prize for African Writing have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Caine Prize for African Writing.
What industry is The Caine Prize for African Writing in?
The Caine Prize for African Writing's product category is Literary Awards. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAHAK, Literary Arts & Writing Organizations. Its NAICS code is 51313.