Wadadli Pen 2021 Challenge – The Long List

At this stage the individual rankings of the three-panel judges are in, cross-referenced on a master list, and then ranked by numbers only. The judges will meet to finalize the short list and positioning re the individual prizes, hopefully this week. In the meantime, based solely on the numerical ranking, names withheld until the judging is completed (to keep the process anonymous), here, in alphabetical order, is the long list of stories still in the running for the 2021 Wadadli Pen Prize. Putting it out in gratitude for your patience, all 72 of you who submitted.- JCH

The Beach
Beautiful Disaster
The Blackboard
The Brave One
The Breeze
Emerging
The Goat in the Rainforest of Puerto Rico
The Great Old Woodslave
Hiraeth
Home
The Juxtaposed Reprieve
The Legend of the Snowy Egret
Maybe
Mildred, You Na Easy
Mission: Covered
Nothing Like Me
The Silence was So Loud
Spirit of the Flame
Vixen

The entire longlist will be eligible for a spot in a workshop to be facilitated by Joanne C. Hillhouse. The entire long list will be further shortened to a short list after judges’ deliberate. From that list we will have main prize winners, ‘2020’ themed prize winners, and 12 and younger winners. The main prize winner will be added to the Best of Books sponsored Alstyne Allen Memorial plaque while the 12 and younger winner will be the first name added to the Zuri Holder Achievement Award plaque. We also have various prizes for our finalists. This is all thanks to our various patrons. We can confirm, at this writing, that the winner of the schools prize, based on the number of submissions, will be St. Anthony’s Secondary School. Nine schools in all participated this year. Of course, we also had many entries with no school/institutional affiliation as entries were open to participants of all ages.

That’s the status at this writing. Bear with us a little longer; the finish line is in sight.