The five stories to make the cut were drawn from more than 90 entries from 17 countries. The shortlisted writers will be reading from their work at the Royal Overseas League on July 4 and at the Southbank Centre literary festival on July 6. The winner will be announced at a ceremony in Oxford's Bodleian library on July 7.

This year's panel of judges is chaired by the artistic director of the Southbank Centre, Jude Kelly. Joining her on the panel is Jamaican poet and professor of English, Mark McMorris, Libyan novelist Hisham Matar, Eritrean-born Guardian journalist Hannah Pool, and the South African poet, novelist and lecturer Jonty Driver.

The Caine Prize, awarded annually for African creative writing, is named after the late Sir Michael Caine, who chaired the Booker Prize management committee for nearly 25 years.