This archive report was first published on 11 May 2020.
On May 11, 2020, South African writer Jarred Thompson was announced as the winner of the 2020 Afritondo Short Story prize for his story 'Good Help Is Hard To Find'.
The prize, which is open to African and black minority writers, received over 400 entries from 19 countries this year.
Thompson's story, which explores the theme of love, beat out stiff competition from writers from Zimbabwe, Ghana, Uganda, and Nigeria to take home a $1000 prize.
The panel of judges, which included South African writer Megan Ross, Nigerian editor Kelechi Njoku, and Kenyan writer Gloria Mwaniga, praised Thompson's story for its 'wry, subversive take on suburbia' and its 'tight narrative, strong voice, and sensitive characterization.'
Commenting on the winning story, the judges said: 'Good Help is Hard to Find is a wry, subversive take on suburbia and its secrecies, made all the more powerful by a tight narrative, strong voice and sensitive characterization.'
They added: 'What the judges loved about the story was its unhurried style and the manner in which the author made a story so lush in event feel lean.'
Afritondo, a UK-based media and publishing platform, aims to improve diversity in publishing by offering Africans and black minority writers an accessible platform for publishing their stories.
