In 2018, Bajaber was selected as the winner of the inaugural Graywolf Press Africa Prize. This prize is awarded to a first novel manuscript, written by an African author primarily residing in Africa. At the time, she was the assistant poetry editor for the East African issue of
Panorama Travel Journal. The manuscript for
The House of Rust was chosen from nearly 200 submissions by judge
A. Igoni Barrett, author of
Blackass, in conjunction with the Graywolf editors. Bajaber received a $12,000 advance. In addition, 66th&2nd agreed to publish
The House of Rust in Italy, a partnership that was planned continue with the Graywolf Press Africa Prize going forward. Judge
A. Igoni Barrett said: "
The House of Rust is an exhilarating journey into the imagination of an author for whom the fantastic is not only written about, it is performed on the page. Khadija Abdalla Bajaber has infused new life into the age-old story of adventure on the high seas—with this heroic first novel she has struck deep into that mythic realm explored by everyone from
Homer to
Hemingway." In 2024, Bajaber participated in Macondo Literary Festival. She led a session "that explored the concept of using the familiar to write the strange — the concept of grounding unusual or fantastical elements in relatable experiences or settings." As of 2025, Bajaber is the assistant fiction editor for
Panorama: The Journal of Intelligent Travel. ==Works==