South African fiction writer Mary Watson was recently named the winner of the 2006 Caine Prize for her short story "Jungfrau.” She received £10,000 (approximately $18,200). The annual prize is given for a previously published short story written in English by an African writer. The other finalists were Sefi Atta, Darrel Bristow-Bovey, Muthoni Garland, and Laila Lalami. The judges were Aminatta Forna, Maya Jaggi, Mpalive Msiska, and Nana Wilson-Tagoe.
The prize was created in 2000 to honor Michael Caine, the British businessman and former chair of the Man Booker Prize. Past winners of the Caine Prize include Helon Habila, Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor, and Binyavanga Wainaina.
