The Nommo Awards are literary awards presented by The African Speculative Fiction Society. The awards recognize works of speculative fiction by Africans, defined as "science fiction, fantasy, stories of magic and traditional belief, alternative histories, horror and strange stuff that might not fit in anywhere else."
The Nommo Awards have four categories: Best Novel, Novella, Short Story, and Graphic Novel. They are named after the Nommo, ancestral spirits from Dogon cosmology who take a variety of forms, including appearing on land as fish, walking on their tails.
The African Speculative Fiction Society (ASFS) promotes science fiction and fantasy by Africans. Its members include writers, editors, artists and publishers. Established August 15, 2016 with 58 charter members, the ASFS and its Nommo Awards is a body for African science fiction/fantasy professionals.
Members nominate and vote on the Nommo Awards for African Speculative Fiction.<blockquote>âÂÂThe ASFS will provide a place where writers, readers, and scholars can come together to find information, connect with each other, and act as watchdogs for their collective interests.â Chinelo Onwualu, co-founder of Omenana</blockquote>
The African Speculative Fiction Society 58 original charter members of 2016.
The Nommo Awards logo and ASFS logos were designed in 2016 by Stephen Embleton. The logo is an image of the Nommo in Dogon cosmology, twins who on land can take the form of fish walking on their tails.<blockquote>"The Nommo are mythological ancestral spirits (sometimes referred to as deities) worshipped by the Dogon people of Mali. The word Nommos is derived from a Dogon word meaning "to make one drink." The Nommos are usually described as amphibious, hermaphroditic, fish-like creatures. Folk art depictions of the Nommos show creatures with humanoid upper torsos, legs/feet, and a fish-like lower torso and tail. The Nommos are also referred to as âÂÂMasters of the WaterâÂÂ, âÂÂthe MonitorsâÂÂ, and "the TeachersâÂÂ. Nommo can be a proper name of an individual, or can refer to the group of spirits as a whole. For purposes of this article âÂÂNommoâ refers to a specific individual and âÂÂNommosâ is used to reference the group of beings."</blockquote>
The Novel Award is also known as The Ilube Nommo Award for Best Speculative Fiction Novel by an African. It is named for and sponsored by Tom Ilube.