The Caine Prize for African Writing announced that, following an internal review, it found no evidence that Zimbabwean author Simbarashe Kundizeza employed generative AI in crafting his award‑winning short story, and confirmed him as this year’s £10,000 ($13,000) laureate.
Ellah Wakatama, Chair of the Caine Prize Board of Trustees, said the issue was examined after The Atlantic magazine published an article titled “Yet Another Literary Prizewinner Seems to Be AI.”
“Our thorough investigation leaves no doubt that The Blue Fighter was written by a human,” she stated in a video posted on X.
The allegation sparked considerable social‑media controversy, and Kundizeza has denied any wrongdoing.
Journalist Vauhini Vara of The Atlantic asserted that AI‑detection tool Pangram indicated that the story—about a boy facing hardship—was entirely generated by artificial intelligence.
These accusations followed similar controversies earlier this year, including the Commonwealth Short Story Prize, which was awarded to Trinidadian author Jamir Nazir amid allegations of AI use, and the withdrawal of Canadian‑Haitian writer Thélyson Orélien from France’s prestigious Goncourt Prize after claims that his debut novel was AI‑generated, which he denies.
After publishing her article last month, Vara told the BBC’s Front Row programme that every previous Caine Prize winning story she had examined with Pangram was identified as 100 % human.
Social‑media backlash included remarks from African writers suggesting that these accusations are largely directed at non‑white authors.
