11 Open Opportunities for African Writers
Up to N1,000,000, Digital and Print Publications, Book Deals etc
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1. The Republic is now Accepting Fiction Submissions
The Republic Journal, as part of their mission to explore ideas shaping African life, has launched a fiction section. The Fiction Editor is Chigozie Obioma, award-winning author of The Fishermen. “What we’re building with our fiction segment is not simply another outlet for African writing, but a platform for the most imaginative thinking the world has to offer.”—Wale Lawal, Editor-in-Chief
Deadline: Rolling | Prize: $200 or N300,000
Things to note:
1500-3000 words
All genres are welcome
Submissions must be through this form.
To fill the form, you have to register for a free (or paid) account on The Republic.
2. Naija Theatre: Call for Reviews
Naija Theatre was created to give Nigerian stories told on a theatre stage the necessary support. They are calling for reviews of Nigerian Theatre productions.
Deadline: 25th May 2025. | Renumeration: N50,000
Steps to submit:
Watch a Nigerian stage play
Write a review about it
In the designated form, kindly share your name, email address and paste your review in the box provided. Once you are done filling, click submit. A black checkmark is proof that your submission was successful.
If your review is selected, you will be contacted for your cash prize and to request images where necessary.
Click here to submit.
3. Shallow Tales Review: Open for Submissions
The Shallow Tales Review accepts fiction, creative non-fiction, book reviews, poems, one-act plays, cultural and social essays, art photographs, and translations that touch on the sensibilities of the African.
Deadline: 31st May 2025 | Pay: none
Things to note:
Literary criticisms must concern texts that are of modern and African temperament. By “modern,” we refer to books published at most 5 years before.
For essays, they expect themes to be tackled logically and as clearly as possible.
They DO NOT publish horror, sci-fi, travellogues or any sociological piece without the slightest literary tilt. They could, however, break the rules for exceptionally great pieces that reflect the African/human condition.
Entries should be sent in by mail to:
poetry.tstr@gmail.com
essays.tstr@gmail.com (Essays & Creative Nonfiction)
theshallowtalesreview@gmail.com (Fiction/Plays/Art & Photography)Use “TSTR Submissions” in the subject line.
Files should be saved with the title of the work, and in the case of a body of poems, with the first poem in the file.
Word count: 1500-4000 words, in .doc or .docx format.
Poetry submissions: not be more than forty (40) lines, per poem. They accept a maximum of three poetry entries at a time.
Entries must be sent single-spaced in 12 point, Times New Roman font.
Only previously unpublished works would be reviewed and considered.
Reprints are NOT allowed.
In the body of the mail, include a short cover letter describing the genre of the work, word count (for prose), number of poems included (for poetry), short author bio, and any other relevant information relating to the piece.
Do not add any identifying information in the document with the entry.
4. Submit to Journal of African Youth Literature
JAY Lit publishes literature written by, about, and/or for born-in-Africa youths. Our definition of ‘African’ is not related to colour, race or ethnicity, but rather place of origin and heritage. They publish creative writing, poetry, prose (stories and narratives), plays, visual stories such as photo essays, and comic and graphic artwork with a storyline in ANY language used in Africa.
Deadline: 31st May 2025 | Pay: None
Things to note:
All submissions must be the original creation of the individual submitting them, and they cannot have been previously published elsewhere.
To help in making a decision on non-English texts, please include a short summary in English of what your submission is about when you send it.
Please note that while the content they publish is mostly by youth aged 15 to 35, they also publish older individuals whose work is made for this age bracket.
Before submitting, please go through at least one issue to get a clear idea of what they are looking for. Previous issues are available here.
Please send only one of each kind of submission per submission period, i.e. poetry or a short story, not both.
Poetry:
For short poems, send up to 20 lines each. You can submit up to 5 short poems at once.
For longer poems, send 21-50 lines. Please submit only one long poem at a time.
Please send your submission to poetry.submissions@jaylit.com. In the subject line, indicate if your submission is a long poem or short poem(s), put your name and the title of your submission. If you’re submitting a packet of poems, put the number of poems in the subject line instead. E.g. [Long poem – Sipho Adewale – Laugh Laugh Laugh], or [Short Poems – Sipho Adewale – 6 poems]
Prose
For short stories and personal essays (CNF), 1,000 — 4,000 words.
For shorter prose (flash fiction or flash CNF), 250 — 1,000 words.
Please send your submission to prose.submissions@jaylit.com. In the subject line, indicate if your submission is a short story, a personal essay, a flash fiction, or a flash CNF, put your name and the title
Send critical essays and reviews to ibrahim.ibrahim@jaylit.com. Word count should not exceed 2,000 words.
Plays
For short plays, up to 4,000 words.
For longer plays, 4,000 — 20,000 words.
Please send your submission to prose.submissions@jaylit.com. In the subject line, indicate if your submission is a short play or a long play, put your name and the title of your submission. E.g. [Short Play – Sipho Adewale – Laugh Laugh Laugh]
Formatting
Use 12-point Times New Roman
Double-space your work with justified alignment
British and American English are accepted, but please be consistent
Add page numbers at the bottom of each page
Send documents in MS Word format
Remove your name and every identification detail from the document
In the body of your email, paste a cover letter that includes your name, title of your work, and a short bio.
5. Submit to Frontier Poetry
Frontier Poetry began with the simple mission of being a platform for emerging poets—to uplift, to prepare, and to inspire. They warmly invite poets from historically under-represented and marginalized groups to submit.
Deadline: Rolling | Pay: $50
Things to note:
Submissions are open to new and emerging poets only (no more than one full-length published work of poetry out in the world or forthcoming at the time of submission. For information about self-published works and pieces published via personal or social media pages, please see FAQ page).
They accept simultaneous submissions—just please send them a note if your work is picked up elsewhere.
All submissions must be no more than ten pages and no more than five poems.
They do not accept multiple submissions. Please submit all your poems in ONE document.
Please include a cover letter with your publication history.
Expect eight to twelve weeks for a response.
As an African Writer submit under New Voices Free Fast Response for BIPOC – this offers a quick turnaround option offered for free to Black, Indigenous, and other writers of color.
6. Submit Poetry to The Shore
The Shore is an online poetry publication seeking cutting, strange, and daring work from new and established poets alike. They want poems that explore the worlds of things and ideas, that recognize the liminality, the shifting of everything around us and our ability to name a thing whole.
Deadline: 1st June 2025 | Pay: unstated amount
Things to note:
Email 3-5 poems in a single document in .doc or .docx format to theshorepoetry@gmail.com
Subject line: “Last Name_First Name THE SHORE submission” with a cover letter and third-person bio included in the body of the email.
They accept simultaneous submissions as long as you notify them if the piece is accepted elsewhere, but they do not accept reprints. Upon acceptance, please withdraw your poems from other consideration.
Please only submit once per reading period.
7. Submit to Palette Poetry
Palette Poetry is an online literary journal that endeavors to uplift and platform emerging and established poets. Submissions for Palette Poetry’s Featured Poetry category are open year-round to poets at any stage of their careers. Featured poems are published online only and will spotlight a number of poems from new authors each month. They highly encourage emerging authors to submit.
Deadline: Rolling | Pay: up to $150
Things to note:
Submissions are open internationally, to any poet writing in English—other languages are welcome, as long as the poem is largely in English.
They only accept unpublished work. If your poem has been published in a journal, on a blog, or on social media, it is not eligible.
They accept simultaneous submissions, but please send a message via Submittable if your work is picked up elsewhere.
Send up to 5 poems that total no more than 10 pages.
They do NOT accept multiple submissions for Featured Poetry. Please submit all your poems in ONE document.
Multiple submissions will be declined unread.
Please include a brief cover letter in the cover letter box with your publication history, if any. This is where you can include your name and/or bio! If you select the editorial feedback option, this is also where you can name which poem you'd like feedback on.
Do NOT include your name or contact information in your packet of poems. They do not read submissions anonymously but prefer identifying information to be included in the cover letter, not the packet of poems.
Expect 12 weeks for a response, but please do not query until 4 months have passed.
Click here to submit.
8. Young Adult Literature Prize 2025
The TY Buratai Literary Initiative is calling on Nigerian writers focused on young adult literature to submit their novella/novel for consideration in the 2nd Young Adult Literature Prize.
Deadline: 31st July 2025| Prize: N1,000,000 + Book Deal
Things to note:
The prize is open to Nigerians within or outside the country
Entries should be original, between 80-120 pages in Arial Font, Size 12
Only unpublished manuscripts are acceptable. TYBLI intends to grow this genre by publishing the best ten entries in a post-event anthology.
Submitted manuscripts must not be published before announcement of Prize winners in November 1, 2025
The language should be age- appropriate, easy to read, and may include slangs and colloquial terms. Specifically for ages 13-19.
Entries should reflect one or more of the common themes and archetypes of young adult literature, such as solo quest to change the world, rag-to-riches, diversity, identity, or recreating classic stories.
Each participant is required to fill out the application form on the website with relevant information, given which your entry, even though received, might not be eligible.
Entries should be sent as a Word document attachment, to TYBLITERARYI@GMAIL.COM
Please put in the subject line “TYBLI Young Adults Literature Prize 2025.
9. Submit to Isele Magazine
Founded in July 2020, Isele Magazine publishes notable fiction, poetry, essays, interviews, art/photography, and reviews from writers on the African continent and around the world. Their general submissions are open to fiction, nonfiction and poetry.
Deadline: Rolling | Pay: from $10
Things to note:
Please do not submit 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 in English.
Please include a brief cover letter with the title of your piece and a third-person bio.
Prose:
You may submit up to 6,000 words of fiction and 3,500 words of nonfiction.
Please make sure your manuscript is double-spaced, preferably in Times New Roman or Garamond size 12 font.
Send fiction (as a Word document attachment) to fiction@iselemagazine.com.
Send nonfiction (as a Word document attachment) to nonfiction.iselemagazine@gmail.com.
Poetry:
You may submit up to 4 pages of poetry or one long poem. Please submit as a single document.
Send poetry (as Word document attachment) to poetry.iselemagazine@gmail.com.
Book Reviews:
Submit up to 1,500 words. Double-spaced, Times New Roman, size 12 font.
Send book reviews to submissions.iselemagazine@gmail.com.
10. Submit to AfroCritik
Afrocritik accepts previously unpublished, African-centred fiction, nonfiction, poetry, book, film, art and music reviews, as well as features, interviews, and cultural essays. Submissions must be insightful, balanced, unbiased, critical, and could be controversial, even.
Deadline: Rolling | Pay: None
Things to note:
Entries should be sent to the editors at: entries@afrocritik.com
In the “subject” area of your mail, use “Afrocritik Submissions”. Include a bio in the body of the mail (including your social media handles) alongside your work.
Since they try to respond to every entry within only two weeks of submission, they do not encourage simultaneous submissions. If you have not heard back within two weeks, feel free to send a query.
Send only .doc or .docx files, saved with the title of the piece.
Font size 12 and in font style Times New Roman, Garamond, EB Garamond, or Cambria.
Only send one submission at a time. Multiple entries will be turned down automatically.
Submissions within the prose genre should be between 1,000 to 2,500 words. Anything above or below might be turned down.
Poetry entries should not exceed three poems at a time.
All accepted pieces are edited by the editor, so be ready to work through the revisions.
11. Write for TechSafari
Tech Safari is looking to commission articles centred around African tech.
Deadline: 20th May 2025 or until cap is reached | Pay: $125
Things to note:
Please send a 70-100 word pitch to newsletter@techsafari.io.
Your pitch should include:
a headline as the email subject
one (1) paragraph that clearly explains the feature/article
a clearly defined outline of the feature/article
And a bio of the writer (and link to previous articles, if you’ve been published before).
Send pitches with:
Broader Regional Coverage: stories from outside the usual tech hotspots of Nigeria, Kenya, and South Africa. They’re keen to spotlight underrepresented areas—think Northern Africa, Central Africa, and francophone countries.
No Listicles: they prefer deep dives, original angles, and narratives that reveal more than just surface-level information.
Fintech with a Twist: consider fintech stories—but only if they offer fresh perspectives or challenge the status quo. Skip the usual "financial inclusion" or "banking the unbanked" pitches. They want insight, not industry echo.
Innovation that’s Actually Fun (and Useful): They’re open to featuring startups doing unexpected things to solve everyday problems in clever ways. If it’s quirky, delightful, or creatively impactful — we want to hear about it. Check out how we featured 14Trees.
If you or someone you referred have received an acceptance for any of the opportunities listed on African Writer Weekly, please share your win to encourage the work we do!
Prose of the Week
Duala Living | Rukayat Ogunlana
With the way I sat still in the passenger’s seat of the grey Toyota Corolla, the driver must have been tempted to tap me to say, “You didn’t forget you ordered a ride. Did you? This is not your car. Get down! I have another client to pick up.” But he didn’t say that. He was patient with me, and he had been since he picked me up from Miango and drove me to Duala, knowing when and when not to make conversation. Looking back now, I hope I gave him 5-stars. He was looking through the window now, checking to confirm if we were indeed at the right place. We were…
If you’d like your prose featured in ‘Prose of The Week’ send an email to editor.afww@gmail.com.
Poetry of the Week
How to Bring Your Children to America | Hafiza Geter
The mothers became targets.
Hanging on clotheslines, bibs
of the barely fed.
Children, countries born
split in two—firstborn…
If you’d like your poetry featured in ‘Poetry of The Week’ send an email to editor.afww@gmail.com.
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ስኬትን እመኝልዎታለሁ | sikētini imenyiliwotalehu (I wish you success —Amharic, Ethiopia)
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