Read the winning story of the 2026 Caine Prize for African Writing.

This week, the Caine Prize for African Writing, which awards £10,000 annually to the best short story by an African writer living on the continent or in the diaspora, announced the 2026 winner: Zimbabwean writer Simbarashe Steyn Kundizeza’s “The Blue Fighter,” which was originally published by The Shallow Tales Review in 2025. To have a story drawn from my own experiences recognised at this level makes all those everyday compromises feel worthwhile. Most of all, it gives me a little more belief that I can keep making room for this life as a writer.”