Prize Juries

2024  Chair, Nero Gold Prize for best overall book
2024  Chair, Global Black Women’s Non-Fiction Prize (Cassava Republic)
2024  Sunny Dupree Family Award for a Woman Artist, Royal Academy of Arts
2023  Chair, OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Literature, Best Overall Book
2023  Chair, Forward Prize Best Collection & Best First Collection
2021  Chair, Women’s Prize for Fiction
2020  Sunday Times Style Journalist Competition
2019  Harpers Bazaar Short Story Competition
2019  Polari Book Prize for LGBTQ+ fiction
2019  Anthony Burgess/ Observer Prize for Arts Journalism
2019  Glenna Luschei Prize for African Poetry
2018 40 new Fellows under 40 for the Royal Society of Literature
2018  Chair: The Brunel Int. African Poetry Prize
2018 Isis magazine Writing Competition, Oxford University
2018  The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition
2018  Geneva Writers Prize (Switzerland)
2017  (annual) Chair Brunel Int. African Poetry Prize
2016  Guardian and 4th Estate BAME Short Story Prize
2016  The Goldsmiths Prize for innovative fiction
2016  The Sillerman First Book Prize for African Poets (USA)
2016  (annual) Chair: The Brunel Int. African Poetry Prize
2015  Prairie Schooner First Book Prize (USA)
2015  Costa Best Novel Award & Costa Book of the Year
2015  First Story National Writing Competition
2015 (annual) Chair: The Brunel Int. African Poetry Prize
2014  OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Literature, Poetry (Trinidad)
2014  Sillerman First Book Prize for African Poets, USA
2014  (annual) Chair: The Brunel Int. African Poetry Prize
2013  Golden Baobab Prize, Ghana (Short stories for African children)
2013  Sillerman First Book Prize for African Poets (USA)
2013 (annual) Chair: The Brunel Int. African Poetry Prize
2012  Founder & Chair of the Brunel University African Poetry Prize
2012  The Poetry Society’s Poetry News competition
2012  Chair: The Caine Prize for African Fiction
2012  Chair: The Commonwealth Short Story Prize
2011  The Peacock Poetry Prize (Brighton Festival)
2010 TS Eliot Prize (Poetry)
2010 Alfred Fagan Award – (Black plays)
2010 Orange Award for New Writers (Women’s fiction)
2009 Muslim Writers Awards with Penguin (Fiction)
2008 Decibel Penguin Prize (Fiction)
2007 Northern Rock Writers’ Award  (Fiction & Poetry)
2006 The National Poetry Competition
2004 The Next Generation Top 20 List, organised by PBS and Poetry Society
1997  Ian St. James’ Award (Fiction)