A huge congratulations to Shane van der Hoven, whose debut poetry collection, Kruiper–Crawler, has won the 2026 University of Johannesburg Debut Prize for Afrikaans.

Published by uHlanga in 2025, Kruiper–Crawler is the first multilingual collection to win the UJ Debut Prize, and was praised for its play with bilingualism, fresh vernacular, and intimate sensitivity to the contemporary cultural moment.

Moving between Afrikaans and English, discomfort and tenderness, queerness and underground life, Kruiper-Crawler is a risk-taking debut that unsettles literary and linguistic boundaries with rare force.

We are so proud of you, Shane, and so honoured to have published this remarkable book.