The Bank Windhoek Doek Literary Awards are awarded every two years to celebrate the works of four Namibian literary artists published in Doek! Literary Magazine. As part of Doek’s mission to foster a robust literary community in the country, the Awards seek to bring a wider Namibian and international audience to the selected works and literary artists.

Four judges are appointed from experienced members of the Namibian or international literary scene. Three judges are appointed to adjudicate the fiction, nonfiction, and poetry categories. One judge is appointed for the visual arts.

The 2021 panel of judges is selected from members of the Namibian literary community. They bring experience to the adjudication process and are committed to recognising and rewarding Namibian literary artists who have produced resonant works in the fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and visual art fields. They are:

Beauty Boois • Judge: Fiction, Nonfiction, and Poetry

Beauty Boois is a genderqueer, intersectional feminist with a professional background in psychological counselling. They hold an honours degree in Clinical Psychology from the University of Namibia. Their writing focuses on social justice issues, mental health, women’s, human, and LGBTI+ rights. Their work has appeared in The Namibian, Sister Namibia, African Feminism, Monochrome Magazine, the Namibian Sun, and Elephant Journal. Their debut novel |Namgu’s Escape Theory was published by the UNAM Press in 2020 and was one of Brittle Paper’s 50 Most Notable African Books of 2020. They served as Doek!’s poetry editor in 2020.

Dr Coletta Kandemiri • Judge: Fiction, Nonfiction, and Poetry

Dr Kandemiri obtained her BA Honours Degree in English from the University of Zimbabwe. She received her MA in English Studies from the University of Namibia with a cum laude distinction in 2018; she was also awarded the Chancellor’s and Vice-Chancellor’s Awards. Her PhD examined how contemporary glitches in present day Namibia stemmed from the 1904-1908 Herero-Nama Genocide. Dr Kandemiri has attended and presented at conferences, and her list of publications include journal articles and book chapters. Her fiction has appeared in Doek!.

Bruni Lubbe • Judge: Fiction, Nonfiction, and Poetry

Bruni was born in Gobabis and resides in Windhoek. A former mathematics teacher, she is a passionate reader and champion of local and international literature. She works at the Book Den where she is well-known to city-based book lovers.

Shawn Van Eeden • Judge: Visual Art

Shawn is an award-winning Namibian photographer whose design career started in London, England. After 12 years in London he moved back to Namibia and worked at Y&R before founding CreativeLAB, his own full-time photography studio. Shawn’s work has been shortlisted for the Cannes Lions Awards and has won various honours at One Eyeland Photography Awards, the Epica Awards, the Lucie Awards, and the Loeries. His work has appeared in Doek!.

ELIGIBILITY AND RULES

The following rules govern the inaugural edition of the Bank Windhoek Doek Literary Awards:

1. Only Namibian literary artists published in Doek! are eligible for consideration in their respective categories: fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and visual art.
2. Successful publication in Doek! is the only entry requirement. Doek!’s submission guidelines and portal are available on its Submission’s page.
3. All Namibian writers, poets, and visual artists published in the selected issues are eligible for consideration for the Bank Windhoek Doek Literary Awards in 2021:
   1. Issue 1: A Story Happened Here (August, 2019)
   2. Issue 2: Stories Find Stories (February, 2020)
   3. Issue 3: Stories From A Small Place (July, 2020)
   4. Issue 4: Worlds Beyond This One (November, 2020)
   5. Issue 5: Start/Continue (March, 2021)
   6. Issue 6, Tomorrow/Together (July, 2021).
4. Only one entry is permitted per writer, poet, or visual artist. Literary artists with more than one publication in Doek! will be requested to choose one of their works for the judges’ consideration.
5. Commissioned illustrators are eligible for consideration in the visual arts category. Their respective commissions are assessed as one entry.
6. A shortlist of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and visual art entries shall be produced by the judges. Each category can have a maximum of three (3) entries.
7. The judges’ decisions are final and not subject to appeal.
8. In the event a Doek! contributor is appointed as a judge, their publications are not eligible for consideration in that year’s prize cycle.
9. Doek’s patron, trustees, and Doek!’s editors are not eligible for consideration regardless of their previous publication in the magazine.
10. A longlist of eligible literary artists under consideration will be published on 02 August 2021.

---

Cover Image: Windmill.
© Josh Withers.