# Olive Schreiner Prize

The Olive Schreiner Prize has been awarded annually since 1961 to emerging writers in the field of drama, prose, or poetry. It is named after Olive Schreiner, the South African author and activist. It rewards promising novice work, by writers who are not yet regarded as "established" in the genre. It rotates annually among the genres of drama, prose, and poetry. The prize for each genre is therefore triennial, and is open to work published in the three years since it was last awarded.
The Prize was established in 1961 by the Suid-Afrikaanse Akademie vir Wetenskap en Kuns (SAAWK), and was transferred to the English Academy of Southern Africa in 1972. The Prize was previously sponsored by Shell South Africa, and later by FNB, and under SAAWK was open only to works published in South Africa or Rhodesia by a writer from one of those countries. It is now open to works published in southern African countries by citizens of southern African countries generally. It is not highly remunerated – by 1987, it was worth only R500, and in 2010 was worth R5 000 – but is considered prestigious.
As of 2018, the Prize could not be awarded to the same writer more than twice. To date, this disqualifies only two writers: Rustum Kozain, who has won the poetry prize twice, and Zakes Mda, who has won for both drama and prose.

## Prize winners

Winners of the Olive Schreiner Prize (1961–2019) :
| Year | Form | Winner | |
| 2022 | Poetry | Jacques Coetzee | An Illuminated Darkness |
| 2020 | Drama | Nadia Davids | What Remains: A Play in One Act |
| 2019 | Poetry | Allan Kolski Horwitz | The Colours of Our Flag |
| 2018 | Prose | Bronwyn Law-Viljoen | The Printmaker |
| 2018 | Prose | Elleke Boehmer | The Shouting in the Dark |
| 2017 | Drama | Neil Coppen | Tin Bucket Drum |
| 2016 | Poetry | No award | No award |
| 2015 | Prose | Imran Garda | The Thunder that Roars |
| 2015 | Prose | Jill Nudelman | Inheriting the Earth |
| 2014 | Drama | Phillip M. Dikotla | Skierlik |
| 2013 | Poetry | Rustum Kozain | Groundwork |
| 2012 | Prose | Peter Dunseith | The Bird of Heaven |
| 2011 | Drama | Nicholas Spagnoletti | London Road |
| 2011 | Drama | Mike van Graan | Iago's Last Dance |
| 2010 | Poetry | Finuala Dowling | Notes from the Dementia Ward |
| 2009 | Prose | Michael Cawood Green | For The Sake of Silence |
| 2008 | Drama | No award | No award |
| 2007 | Poetry | Rustum Kozain | This Carting Life |
| 2006 | Prose | Jane Taylor | Of Wild Dogs |
| 2006 | Prose | Russel Brownlee | Garden of the Plagues |
| 2005 | Drama | John Kani | Nothing but the Truth |
| 2004 | Poetry | Isobel Dixon | Weather Eye |
| 2003 | Prose | Hugh Lewin | Bandiet out of Jail |
| 2002 | Drama | Xoli Norman | Hallelujah! |
| 2001 | Poetry | Mzi Mahola | When Rains Come |
| 2000 | Prose | Antjie Krog | Country of My Skull |
| 1999 | Drama | Moira Lovell | Bedtime Stories |
| 1998 | Poetry | Dan Wylie | The Road Out |
| 1997 | Prose | Zakes Mda | Ways of Dying |
| 1996 | Drama | Zakes Mda | The Nun's Romantic Story |
| 1995 | Poetry | Allan James | Morning Near Genadendal |
| 1994 | Prose | Deena Padayachee | What's Love Got to Do with It? |
| 1993 | Drama | No award | No award |
| 1992 | Poetry | Tatamkulu Afrika | Nine Lives |
| 1991 | Prose | Ivan Vladislavic | Missing Persons |
| 1990 | Drama | Norman Coombe | A Snake in the Garden |
| 1989 | Poetry | Kelwyn Sole | Blood of Our Silence |
| 1988 | Prose | John Conyngham | The Arrowing of the Cane |
| 1987 | Drama | No award | No award |
| 1986 | Poetry | Lionel Abrahams | Journal of a New Man |
| 1985 | Prose | Menan du Plessis | A State of Fear |
| 1984 | Drama | Junction Avenue Theatre Company | Randlords and Rotgut |
| 1983 | Poetry | Chris Mann | New Shades |
| 1982 | Prose | Rose Zwi | Another Year In Africa |
| 1981 | Drama | No award | No award |
| 1980 | Poetry | Patrick Cullinan | Today Is Not Different |
| 1980 | Poetry | Chris van Wyk | It Is Time to Go Home |
| 1979 | Prose | Ahmed Essop | The Hajji And Other Stories |
| 1978 | Drama | John Cundill | Redundant & Waiting |
| 1977 | Poetry | Robert Greig | Talking Bull |
| 1976 | Prose | Sheila Roberts | Outside Life's Feast |
| 1975 | Drama | Douglas Livingstone | A Rhino For the Boardroom |
| 1974 | Poetry | Oswald Mtshali | The Sounds of a Cowhide Drum |
| 1973 | Prose | Sheila Fugard | The Castaway |
| 1972 | Drama | No award | No award |
| 1971 | Poetry | Elias Pater | In Praise of Night |
| 1970 | Prose | No award | No award |
| 1969 | Drama | No award | No award |
| 1968 | Poetry | Sydney Clouts | One Life |
| 1967 | Prose | M. F. C. Roebuck | Nyitso |
| 1966 | Drama | No award | No award |
| 1965 | Poetry | No award | No award |
| 1964 | Prose | Anna M. Louw | 20 Days That Autumn |
| 1963 | Drama | H. W. D. Manson | The Noose-Knot Ballad |
| 1962 | Prose | No award | No award |
| 1961 | Poetry | F. D. Sinclair | His work |