Nominated for the 2015 Nigerian Writers Awards (Young Motivational Writer of the Year)
2014 O. Henry Award, Winner, "Fairness"
2014 Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Fiction, Winner
2014 Etisalat Prize for Literature, Finalist
2014 New York Public Library Young Lions Fiction Award, Finalist
2014 Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative in Literature, Finalist
2013 Best American Short Stories, Strout, E. & Pitlor, H. (Eds.)
Other Distinguished Stories, “America”
2013 Caine Prize for African Writing, Finalist, "America"
2013 Society of Midland Authors Award, Finalist
2013 Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award, Longlisted
2012 United States Artists Fellowship, Nominated
A New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice
The Guardian's Best African Fiction of 2013
HAPPINESS, LIKE WATER:
UNDER THE UDALA TREES:
**Shortlisted for the 2017 International DUBLIN Literary Award**
A 2017 Amelia Bloomer Project Selection (of the American Library Association)
Winner of the 2016 Inaugural Betty Berzon Emerging Writer Award from The Publishing Triangle
Winner of the 2016 Lambda Literary Award for General Lesbian Fiction
Winner of the 2016 Jessie Redmon Fauset Book Award in Fiction
2016 Nominee for the Zora Neale Hurston/Richard Wright Legacy Award in Fiction
2016 NAACP Image Awards Nominee, "Outstanding Literary Work—Fiction"
2016 Publishing Triangle Award Finalist (Ferro-Grumley Literary Award)
Semi-finalist for the VCU Cabell First Novelist Award
Long-listed for the 2016 Chautauqua Prize
Long-listed for the 2015 Center for Fiction First Novel Prize
Nominated for the 2015 Kirkus Prize in Fiction
A New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice
One of NPR's "Best Books of 2015"
A Shelf Awareness "Best Book of 2015"
A Publishers Lunch's "Favorite Book of 2015, From the News Editor"
One of the Los Angeles Times 56 Fabulous Works of Fiction and Poetry for the Holidays
One of Buzzfeed's "The 24 Best Fiction Books of 2015"
One of the Millions Most Anticipated Reads for 2015
One of Bustle's "2015’s 25 Best Books, Fiction Edition"
One of Bustle's "13 Books From 2015 That Every Woman Should Read"
One of Autostraddle's Top 10 Queer and Feminist Books of 2015
One of The Root's 15 Powerful Works of Fiction
One of thegloss.com's 10 Breakout Female Debut Novelists
BUST Magazine's Top 10 Books of 2015
One of hellogiggles.com's 15 New Books You Absolutely Need to Read
One of the Wall Street Journal's "15 Books to Read This Fall"
One of Buzzfeed's "19 New Books You Need to Read This Fall"
One of Bustle's "Best Books of September 2015"
One of Out Magazine's 10 Books We're Excited for This Fall
One of Cosmopolitan Magazine's 24 Books to Read This Fall
One of the Sun Herald's "Ten noteworthy fiction and nonfiction titles on the way"
One of Gawker's "9 Must-Reads" for Fall
One of Buzzfeed UK's "27 Brilliant Books You Must Read This Winter"
Afridiaspora's Best African Novels of 2015
YNaija's Ten Most Notable Books of 2015
Pulse Nigeria's 10 Outstanding Nigerian Books for 2015