10 Funded Opportunities for African Writers
Up to $5000, Print Publications, Residency, Contests etc.
This newsletter is published every Wednesday at 5pm WAT.
If you’d like to share an opportunity on this newsletter please send an email to editor.afww@gmail.com.
1. Enter the Samira Bawumia Literature Prize 2025
The SBLP is a nationwide biennial literary competition dedicated to identifying, nurturing, and providing a clear pathway for talented young Ghanaian writers to become published. This is the third edition of the prize and selected entries from each edition are compiled and published in a widely acclaimed anthology, providing invaluable exposure for emerging writers.
Deadline: 21st June 2025 | Prize: Laptops + Total of GHS16,000
Things to note:
Themes include:
Adaptations of African Folktales and myths
Environment and Climate Action
Traditional Symbols
African Heros and Heroines
Only Ghanian citizens living in Ghana and aged 15-30 at the time of submission may enter. Writers must not have authored a book.
Stories must be for children within the ages of 9 and 15
Stories must be relatable and engaging, using every day Ghanaian settings and characters that children can identify with. Language must simple and accessible.
Only one entry per writer is allowed.
Poetry submissions can feature up to 3 poems.
Language of submission is English.
Prose entries should be between 1000-1500 words
Only the title of the story should be in the document, no names should be written in the submission. The first page should have the title and word count only
Entries must be original and unpublished
Formatting must be Times New Roman, Font size 12 and 0 spacing.
Text should be center-justified
Page numbers should be indicated on each page
File format must be doc. Or docx (Microsoft Word)
To submit, fill this form
2. The Cost of Justice: An Anthology of Women’s Voices and Resilience in Nigeria
This anthology is a storytelling and advocacy project that amplifies the lived experiences of women confronting gender-based violence (GBV) and harmful traditional practices (HTPs) across Nigeria.
Deadline: 23rd June 2025 | Pay: Unstated amount
Things to note:
Despite legal protections, many survivors face steep emotional, financial, and social costs in their pursuit of justice. This anthology brings together powerful creative nonfiction under three core themes:
The Cost of Justice
The Gatekeepers
Trapped in Silence
To read story prompts provided by the editor to inspire writing, click here.
Send Up to 3,500 words (double‑spaced, 12‑pt font, numbered pages).
The writer should state their real name when submitting a story. The characters in the story can have pseudonyms.
Work must be unpublished and not under consideration elsewhere.
Maximum one submission per author .
Send in PDF format only.
To submit, fill this form
3. The ROMchip Freelancer Fund for Game Writing
ROMchip: A Journal of Game Histories is now accepting freelance pitches on a rolling basis for our Interviews, Materials, and Translations sections. This initiative is designed to support original work by independent researchers, preservationists, game makers, and public historians with significant expertise in the field of game history.
Deadline: Unstated | Pay: $250–$600
Things to note:
Send a short pitch to: romchip.journal@gmail.com
Use the subject line: ROMchip Freelance PitchInclude:
A 1-paragraph description of your proposal, included the intended section:
If it's an Interview, tell us who you'll interview, why they are relevant to game history, and the intended focus of your conversation
If it's a Materials piece, tell us the object you want to write about, a little about it's background, and the conceptual approach or historical argument you're interested in
If it's a Translation, tell us what you want to translate, its value for game historians, and whether you've already sought permission to translate it.
A few sentences about why you're qualified to write it
A short bio
Links to relevant writing samples
Interviews: 5K–9K word edited transcripts based on original interviews or oral histories. Interviews published in their journal typically feature either former developers (usually from the 1970s/80s/90s), or contemporary archivists, curators, museum professionals, or scholars doing preservation work that contributes to game history research.
Materials: Essays (3.5K-5K words) or experimental formats (photo essays, game walkthroughs, etc.) focused on new archival discoveries, object preservation, or unique game history artifacts. Materials pieces have a clear, specific artifact or object, and are driven by original archival research.
4. CNN Academy’s Story Telling for Impact Program
CNN is inviting applications for its Voices From the South: Storytelling for Impact Program to begin in July 2025. The program is focused on health reporting and is targeting is “investing in emerging journalism from the Global South across regions often at the epicenter of global health emergencies, yet underrepresented in coverage. From reporting on vaccine equity in Sub-Saharan Africa to humanitarian crises in conflict zones, to the resilience of frontline workers, this program will train you to find the stories that matter and tell them in depth, context and impact.”
Deadline: 23rd June 2025 | Pay: Training + Funded Travel
Things to note:
Only those who reside and work in a country located in the Global South which includes any developing country in Latin America and the Caribbean, Africa and Asia, can apply
Applicants must
Identify as a content creator, journalist, or storyteller in the early stages of their career.
Applicants must have a portfolio of relevant work
Possess strong communication skills and fluency in spoken and written English.
Demonstrate a commitment to actively participating in the entire training program and applying the acquired skills to their reporting projects.
Be able and willing to travel to Abu Dhabi for the CNN Academy Simulation in November 2025
The first phase of the program is a virtual training which takes place from July to October 1st. The second phase is the in-person training in Abu Dhabi in November.
5. African Literary Prize 2025: Narratives Against Poverty
The African Literary Prize is seeking submissions to be complied into an anthology. The best three submissions will be awarded prizes. The theme for the prize is: Narratives Against Poverty. It seeks to showcase stories which go against narratives of war, violence, disease, hunger etc. “Africa must always write its own story, her story of both the rich past, beautiful and dark present.”—ALP
Deadline: 30th June 2025 | Prize: Unstated amount + copy of book
Things to note:
Only two submissions per genre (poetry, short story and essays/hybrid narratives)
Judges/curators expectations are highly critical work that delves onto thematic areas of poverty, hunger, injustice, effects of climate change, corruption, pandemics, effects of war and violence in Africa.
Submission length and size:
Poetry, a maximum of 40 lines per submission
Short stories, a maximum of 4 pages
Essays, a maximum of 4 pages.
Each submission should sent as attachment of word document to africanwritingprogram@gmail.com
Each submission must be 12 point font size Times Roman font
Include the title of your literary work, genre submitted and your name on the subject line and on each and every page of your submission.
Also include your 15 line biography/ short profile and a portrait photograph.
6. Isele Magazine Call for Submissions: Rituals
For this quarterly issue of Isele Magazine, they are seeking submissions that explore rituals – both the quiet, personal habits that shape our days and the communal, cultural ceremonies that bind generations. Think of the incense in your grandmother’s kitchen, the whispered prayer before crossing a threshold, the choreography of grief at a burial, the routine of a morning coffee.
They ask the question: What are the rituals that anchor us? The daily practices that keep us tethered to ourselves, to our ancestors, to each other? What happens when we break them or when they break us? How do they shape our identities, and how do our identities shape them?
Deadline: 30th June 2025. | Pay: From $10 + Prize nomination
Things to note:
All submissions for the quarterly issue should be submitted to quarterly@iselemagazine.com. The email subject line should read Genre: Lastname (e.g. Poetry: Angelou).
They DO NOT accept multiple submissions. Please submit to one genre only.
For fiction and nonfiction, submit max. 5000 words of prose.
For poetry, submit max. 3 poems in a single document.
For prose (fiction and nonfiction) and poetry, they DO NOT publish previously published works (by this, we mean any piece that has appeared on the web or in print, including your personal blog). However, they will consider a translated version of the work if the original language wasn’t English.
They accept simultaneous submissions, but please notify them as soon as your work is accepted elsewhere so that they can withdraw it from consideration.Get the best opportunities straight to your inbox every Wednesday!
7. Pan-Africanist Poetry Anthology
The Hill-Top Creative Arts Foundation (HCAF) invites poets from across Africa and the diaspora to submit entries for its upcoming Pan-Africanist Poetry Anthology. This project seeks to spotlight powerful poetic voices that interrogate and reimagine Africa’s present and future through the lens of Pan-Africanism.
Deadline: 30th June 2025 | Pay: Unstated
Things to note:
Poems must engage with themes such as sovereignty, blackness, neo-colonialism, governance, youth, leadership, development, African unity, and other urgent questions shaping the continent in the 21st century.
Submissions must not exceed 25 lines.
All poems must be submitted as a document attachment. Entries pasted in the body of the email will not be considered.
A short bio and a clear photograph of the writer should accompany each submission.
Send submissions to pan.africanism@hilltopfoundation.com.ng
8. Africa’s Travel Writer of the Year 2025
Uganda Uncovered is hosting its annual travel contest. The competition involves writing about your personal travel experiences around Uganda in a positive angle towards marketing tourism. This year's theme is "Encounters that inspire Conservation"
Deadline: 12th July 2025 | Prize: $300 + paid trip
Things to note:
The contest is open to all African Youth aged 18-35
The 1000-1200 narrative should be narrative with high descriptions attached to their photos or videos, able to stimulate a reader's imagination
Submit your entry as a pdf.
Fill this form to submit.
9. The Kari Howard Fund for Narrative Journalism (2025)
The Kari Howard Fund is inviting women who write for print to apply for funding to support any narrative journalism project.
Deadline: 13th July 2025 | Prize: Up to $5000 per project
Things to note:
This opportunity is open to women and nonbinary journalists.
Applicants may be freelance or staff print journalists and may apply individually or as part of a multi-format team.
Professional journalism must be the applicant’s primary profession.
Applicants must have three (3) or more years of professional journalism experience. Internships do not count as professional experience.
Applicants must be able to show proof of interest from an editor or have a proven track record of publication in prominent media outlets.
Applicants must apply and publish in English.
Any multi-format reporting must supplement a printed project.
Please note that stories can be published digitally and not necessarily in a newspaper or magazine.
10. African Writers Trust Writers-in-Residency Programme
African Writers Trust is thrilled to invite applications for a Writers-in-Residency Programme, happening from 6th to 13th August, 2025. The programme will provide an opportunity for successful applicants to receive structured support on how to hone their craft.
Deadline: 21st July 2025 | Prize: Residency + Transport stipend
Things to note:
The programme is open to writers of poetry and fiction from East Africa and the Horn of Africa. Participants will be selected from: Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Sudan, South Sudan, Somalia, Ethiopia, Eritrea and Djibouti.
This will be a non-residential programme and will take place at African Writers Trust Offices in Kampala, Uganda. Sessions will be conducted between 10 A.M to 4 P.M (EAT)
In addition to meals being provided, participants will receive a stipend to cater for their in-land transport costs for the duration of the programme.
The residency will be facilitated by Nii Ayikwei Parkes, a Ghanaian-British writer, editor and publisher, who has won acclaim as a children’s author, poet, broadcaster and novelist.
Applicants must have an ongoing writing project, or a manuscript they are working on, with the goal of publishing it.
Applicants should be fluent in written and spoken English. All sessions will be conducted in English.
Applicants must commit to be fully available to participate for the entire duration of the programme.
Due to a limited number of slots available, the quality and strength of the submitted writing sample will be key considerations.
Prose of the Week
The Scent of Death | Emmanuella Omonigho
Serai was told she died at birth, so she was supposed to be familiar with death. Unlike other girls in the house, she was smallish and frail and could not see, so she navigated her little world by smell. The others told her she was cursed with a nose that smelt things no one else could. Aunty Izogie spoke differently.
“Stand proud, omo. Obiemwen herself has blessed you.” Aunty Izogie always reminded her when she sat to teach her how to arrange an emwiurhu. Every time, Serai would ask her to retell her birth story and why she was the way she was. Although she knew the story as much as she knew the coral bead pattern, hearing the words again filled her with an indescribable feeling…
If you’d like your published prose featured in ‘Prose of The Week’ send an email to editor.afww@gmail.com.
Poetry of the Week
Origin Myths | Ọbáfẹ́mi Thanni
I prefer the version where I began as a clot of blood, yearning
into my first ache. I must have begun that way, yearning as I am
now for my grandmother’s voice—translating Arabic, asking me
to eat just a little more, laughing at the news of another stolen billion…
If you’d like your published poetry featured in ‘Poetry of The Week’ send an email to editor.afww@gmail.com.
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T’u gha miẹ aroọma (may you find good fortune—Edo, Western Nigeria)