Ideba Edu Ele Wins Inaugural Dele-Balogun Prize for Flash Fiction

Sunday Okobi

The Burnt Stories Community and the inaugural Dele-Balogun Prize for Flash Fiction have declared Ideba Edu Ele the winner of the prestigious first prize. His story, ‘Merciful God’, was selected from a remarkable field of 1,565 submissions to claim the top honour.

The Dele-Balogun Prize for Flash Fiction, founded by Toheeb Dele-Balogun, who also founded The Burnt Stories Project and is a co-founder of The Hook, a creative advertising agency, was established to celebrate and elevate the art of concise, powerful storytelling within Nigeria and beyond.

Dele-Balogun disclosed to journalists at the award event that the path towards selecting the winner was defined by integrity, community, and a deep respect for the craft, describing it as a rigorous and transparent journey.

According to him,  “Upon closing entries, each of the 1,565 stories was read at least twice by the judging committee. A transparent, criteria-based system was employed, evaluating each submission on four key pillars: Stopping power, originality, suspense, and vivid description.

“Stories were then categorised into Green (met all criteria), Amber (met some), and White (did not align). The long list of 30 exceptional stories was drawn exclusively from the Green category.” 

“This long list was then presented to the engaged Burnt Stories community—a collective of writers, artists, readers, and creatives—whose ratings and reviews informed the selection of a final shortlist of six outstanding works.

“The community’s perspective was invaluable, but the final artistic judgment rested with the committee. This hybrid model ensured the winner was chosen on pure merit, not popularity, while honouring the voices of our dedicated community.”

The six shortlisted stories included: ‘Fruitless’ by Faith Ezimadu; ‘Pending Update’ by Toluwani Oladokun; ‘Black Rain’ by Baba Ajanaku; ‘Make a Wish’ by John Blossom; ‘Blood Bound’ by Ann Ujah; and ‘Merciful God’ by Ideba Edu Ele (the winner).

He added that “from this esteemed shortlist, the committee unanimously selected ‘Merciful God’ for its profound impact, originality, and exemplary execution of the prize’s core criteria.”

Also, the initial message sent to all entrants, a principle that guided the entire process, said: “The prize, therefore, extends its heartfelt congratulations to every writer who dared to put pen to paper. You have already won simply by creating something that would not exist if you had not brought it into the world.”

Dele-Balogun added that to ensure the prize’s impact endures beyond the announcement, two key initiatives would follow: “Publication of ‘The Loooonglist’, an anthology featuring every story that met the judging criteria (the Green stories), will be released, preserving the remarkable breadth of talent discovered.

“Secondly, A Feedback Webinar: Instead of individual feedback, which the volume of entries made impossible, the committee will host a dedicated webinar using selected submissions as case studies. This session aims to provide constructive insights for all writers to learn and grow together.”

He said he founded the Dele-Balogun Prize for Flash Fiction to identify, celebrate, and nurture exceptional flash fiction talent. He stated that the prize operates on a foundation of transparency, community, and an unwavering commitment to literary merit, adding that it is administered through the Burnt Stories community, a vibrant platform for storytellers across disciplines.