Fresh Opportunities for African Writers
Jobs, Fellowships, Digital Publication, Prizes over $800
This newsletter is published every Wednesday.
Creative & Content Writing
1. BEFA Film Festival Call for Women Storytellers
For the premiere edition of its film festival, BEFA Women & Child Care Foundation is inviting women storytellers to submit their finished, ready-to-watch feature films, short films, and documentaries that address gender-specific issues. Theme:Confronting Stereotypes. Building Communities.
Deadline: 30th June 2024
How to submit:
Films can be submitted on: befafestival24.wetransfer.com (just click on the link and upload your videos)
Or go to our website: www.befafoundation.org, register on the events page and submit your videos.
2. Call for Entries: NLNG Prize for Literary Criticism
Nigeria LNG Limited is the proud sponsor of three of the biggest and most prestigious prizes in Africa for science, literature, and literary criticism. They are requesting entries for the 2024 Prize for Literary Criticism. This prize is open to entries critiquing Nigerian literature.
Deadline: 2nd April 2024. Prize: N1,000,000 (total)
Things to note:
Nigerian literature is defined as literature on Nigeria and the Nigerian experience and not literature written by a Nigerian. Special consideration is, however, given to critical essays on the works of the new generation of Nigerian writers.
Applicants are required to submit three three (3) literary criticism works focusing on Children’s Literature.
Applicants must complete and submit forms alongside their entries.
Maximum file size to upload is 500MB & Applicant can upload up to 10 files.
Evidence of Nigerian citizenship (Nigerian passport or National Identity Card).
One scanned passport-sized photograph.
To enter this contest, kindly click here.
3. Masobe Books Call for Submissions 2024
Masobe Books, a leading publisher in Nigeria, committed to promoting diverse voices and compelling narratives, is pleased to announce the opening of a 2024 submissions window for new manuscripts. This exciting opportunity is aimed at discovering fresh voices in literature from the African Continent.
Deadline: 31st March 2024. | Prize: Book publication
How to apply:
Genres: We are open to a wide range of genres, including fiction, non-fiction, historical fiction, mystery, romance, science fiction, fantasy, and more. This year however, our focus is on Romance.
Manuscript Format: Please submit the first three chapters of your manuscripts in standard manuscript format, double-spaced, with 12-point font. Include a cover letter with a brief author bio, a detailed synopsis of your work and contact information.
Submission Process: Visit our website at www.masobebooks.com/submissions/. Click on the link titled SUBMIT MANUSCRIPT and fill the submissions form.
Selection Process: Our editorial team will carefully review all submissions, considering originality, style, and thematic relevance and depth. Selected authors will be notified within 8 to 16 weeks.
4. TBWA South Africa is Seeking a Junior & Senior CopyWriter.
As a copywriter you will play a crucial role in building creative reputation and ensuring the highest quality standards in all creative outputs.
Deadline: 2nd March 2024. | Pay: unstated
Requirements:
Click here for Junior Copywriter requirements. Location:JHB North
Click here for Senior Copywriter requirements. Location: Sandton
5. Now Open: The Alpine Fellowship Writing Prize 2024
The Alpine Fellowship Writing Prize is awarded by The Alpine Fellowship, a charitable foundation that supports, commissions and showcases artists, writers, academics and playwrights.. The 2024 Prize will be awarded for the best piece of writing on the theme of ‘Language’.
Deadline: 1st March 2024, 23:59 (UK time) | Prize: Total of £5,000 + full sponsorship to symposium.
Rules:
All genres of writing are permitted, including fiction, non-fiction and non-academic essays.
Open to all nationalities.
Applicants must be aged 18 or above at the time of entry.
All entries must be written in English.
Applicants can only enter one of our prizes.
Limited to one entry per person.
Submissions must be standalone and cannot be extracted from a larger piece.
A maximum of 2,500 words per entry.
Stories must not have been published (not including self-published), or accepted for publication in print or online, or have won or been placed in another competition at any time.
Travel expenses can be used for economy travel costs only and are not exchangeable for cash, any leftover travel budget will not be redeemed as cash.
Travel expenses can be used for transport only, and can not be used towards accommodation outside of the dates of our symposium.
Submissions will be judged anonymously, so please ensure that your name does not appear anywhere on your work.
Apply to Alpine by clicking here.
6. Lolwe: Call for Submissions
Lolwe is currently OPEN to submissions for their Issue 9. They are looking for work that is bold, different, and blurs or pushes boundaries: play with form and language, ignore genre classifications, send in your fears and joys, your doubts and faiths, your curiosities and silences. While not mandatory, they recommend you have a look at their past issues here before you submit.
Deadline: 29th February 2024. | Compensation: unstated
Things to note:
Submissions can either be fiction, essays, poetry, and photography
1,000-10,000 words for fiction and essays. Min. 3 – Max. 5 poems contained in a single document. Min. 5 – Max. 10 images/artworks in one document alongside 200-500 words about the work. (If you’d like to submit an image for the cover, just submit a single high resolution version in the photography category).
Submit as word document, Times New Roman, 12pt, double-spaced.
Please submit one submission per submission cycle and to only one category. Any submission to more than one or the wrong category will be automatically rejected.
Simultaneous submissions are permitted. Just remember to withdraw if accepted elsewhere. For poetry, leave a note on submittable indicating which poem(s) is/are no longer available.
Send a brief bio alongside the submission.
Only original, unpublished submissions will be read. Previously published work is not accepted at all.
7. Doek Magazine: Call for Creative Nonfiction
Doek! is a free, independent, and Pan-African online literary magazine produced in Windhoek, Namibia. The editorial team is interested in considering submissions that discuss a wide variety of topics in interesting styles; prospective nonfiction writers and visual artists should read previous issues of Doek! to see the themes and topics that have been previously explored.
Deadline: 29th February 2024. | Renumeration: unstated
Submission guidelines:
Writers must be Namibian citizens living in the country or in the diaspora (outside Namibia); or African writers, or those of African descent, living on the continent or in the diaspora (such as North and South America, the Caribbean, Europe, or elsewhere).
Only original work will be considered. Previously published work (in any medium, including social media or personal blogs) is not accepted.
Novels and manuscript excerpts, film scripts and plays, journalistic reportage or columns, management or business guides, and “self-help” texts are not eligible for consideration.
Submissions must be written in English. Writers and poets may use words or phrases from any of Namibia’s indigenous languages provided their meaning can be understood within the text (without resort to glossaries or footnotes).
Submissions must be typed: Times New Roman, 12 pt, 2.0 line spacing. They can be sent in any of the following formats: Microsoft Word (.docx and .doc), Rich Text Format (.rtf), and plain text (.txt). It must not exceed 4000words.
The submitted document should only contain the title and the body text of the submission. No identifying details (name, contact number, or email address) may be used in the filename or be placed anywhere in the submission document.
Simultaneous submissions (submissions which have been sent to other literary magazines) are permitted and should be retracted when accepted for publication elsewhere.
Writers and artists must be 18 years of age or older at the time of submitting their writings.
8. Isele Magazine Call for Submissions on Grief
“For this quarterly issue of Isele Magazine, we are seeking submissions that revolve around grief. Grief from losing a loved one. Grief from giving up on your dreams and aspirations. Grief from living in a broken world. Grief from losing your health and bodily functions. Grief from losing your job. Grief from losing an animal companion. We want fiction, nonfiction, poetry, photography, visual art, and hybrid works that explore this theme.”—Isele
Deadline: 29th February 2024. | Compensation: unstated
Guidelines:
All submissions for the quarterly issue should be sent to quarterly@iselemagazine.com. The email subject line should read Genre: Lastname (e.g. Poetry: Angelou).
We 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 photography and visual art, submit max. 5 images in JPEG or PNG format and include a brief note detailing the concept and relevance of your work. Only submit work that you still retain the rights to. We DO NOT accept AI-generated images or artwork.
For prose (fiction and nonfiction) and poetry, we 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, we will consider a translated version of the work if the original language wasn’t in English. For photography and visual art, we may publish works that have been previously published, posted, or exhibited as long as the artist still retains the rights.
Simultaneous submissions are okay but please notify us as soon as your work is accepted elsewhere
All accepted submissions are automatically considered for The Isele Prizes.
9. Open: Lọúnlọún, Pan-African Literary Journal for Historical Fiction
Lọúnlọún was founded by Nigerian writer Victor Ola-Matthew on December 25, 2023 as a literary journal focused on historical fiction set during historical events that have shaped and defined places and times in Africa, as well as the experiences of those who lived through the events, or didn’t. They are now accepting historical fiction for the next issue.
Deadline: 26th February 2024. | Renumeration: unstated
Submission guidelines:
African writers, and those of African descent, home and abroad, are eligible to submit.
Only submissions in fiction are accepted, with a 2000 to 5000 word range.
Only original pieces will be considered. Previously published pieces are not accepted.
Submissions should be in Times New Roman, size 12, double-spaced, and submitted in Word document format.
Submissions should be in English, or translated to English. Writers are however allowed creative freedom with the expression of their languages.
Submissions must be based on an event that has happened on the continent, or affected the continent, regardless of where characters in the telling are located.
Submissions may contain photos, if desired, with appropriate source crediting. This is however not a guarantee it will be used.
Submissions must contain a brief historical setting description (max 3 sentences) which could either describe the historical events in telling, dedicate the work to the event and/or lives in telling, or both.
Submissions must have at least two references, with links, to the historical events in telling.
We accept simultaneous submissions, but let us know promptly if your work is accepted elsewhere.
To submit your work, send an email to submissions@lounloun.com with the subject ‘Fiction Submission.’ In the body of the email include your third-person bio and attach the story. Please ensure the story has references and is in Word document format.
Source: Brittle Paper
10. Omenana Speculative Fiction Magazine is open for submissions
They are looking for submissions of art, fiction, and non-fiction from artists and writers from Africa and the African Diaspora. “We are very much interested in works that explore alternative futures for Africa and people of African descent. We would also like to see explorations of the past as well as new interpretations of myths, folklore and magic.”- Omenana
Deadline: 15th February | Prize: $20 per story
Submission requirements:
Fiction and art must be speculative (Fantasy, Science Fiction, Horror or Magical Realism) and must involve characters, settings or themes directly related to the African continent. All stories and art must be in English (translations welcome), must be original works (no fan fiction, sorry), and previously unpublished.
All work must be submitted by e-mail to sevenhills.media@yahoo.com as a single attachment in one of the following file formats: .doc, .docx, .rtf, .odt.
Include a cover letter in the body of your e-mail providing your contact details (name – not the pseudonym you write under – address, email and phone number), a brief publication history, a bio of no more than 100 words and a profile photo.
Both fiction and non-fiction should please follow this Standard Manuscript Format.
Short fiction should be no more than 5,000 words.
Creative non-fiction and essays should be no more than 3,000 words.
Flash fiction pieces should not exceed 1,000 words each.
Reviews should be between 800 and 2,000 words.
Graphic fiction and visual art should be sent in as a .jpg file.
Please don’t send revised drafts of works that you have previously submitted, unless they specifically ask for them.
Do not send art if it has been published anywhere other than on your portfolio unless they specifically request it.
11. Get Featured: Early African Writer Series
African Writer Weekly is inviting writers of African descent who are in the early stages of their writing career for an opportunity to have their profile and poetry/prose featured on its monthly publication—Early African Writer Series
Deadline: 20th of each month. | Prize: Feature publication
How to apply:
Email us your name and desired publication here with the title of this series as your headline.
Kindly note that for February’s feature, we encourage non-Nigerian writers to reach out.
Technical Writing
1. Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE), UK, is seeking a Technical Writer (Relocation Package available)
“Supporting the UK's Continuous At Sea Deterrence programme and national nuclear security are at the heart of what we do therefore working with us is both exciting and challenging - in fact it's everything you would expect from a company that supports national security.”—AWE. As part of our People Promise, AWE (one of the best 25 big companies to work for in the UK) has a range of benefits to suit you. Location: Reading Area
Deadline: 15th February 2024. | Pay: £35,000 - £45,000 per annum
Requirements for technical writer:
A background in the generation of technical documentation.
Engineering experience in an industrial environment or a knowledge of manufacturing/assembly processes.
Dependent on entry level, candidates will either have a level 3 qualification (ONC/OND), a recognised apprenticeship or a level 4/5 qualification (HNC/HND/Degree) in a relevant discipline.
To explore the benefits and apply, kindly click here
2. RemoTasks is seeking writers to train AI in African languages
RemoTasks is a platform for independent contracting. They are currently seeking individuals who write fluently in Afrikaans, Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba and Xhosa to help train AI systems.
Deadline: Unstated. | Pay: $14.88/hr - $21.96/hr
Preferred qualifications:
You should apply if you meet any of these (or anything similar you think makes you a good fit).
Professional Translator
Enrollment or completion of an undergraduate program in a humanities field or field related to writing
Enrollment or completion in a graduate program related to creative writing
Experience writing professionally (copywriter, journalist, technical writer, editor, etc.)
To find out more and apply, please click your preferred language: Afrikaans, Hausa , Igbo, Yoruba, Xhosa.
Prose of the Week
Something About Goodbye | Joemario Umana
Of all those who stood behind the microphone tonight, none resembled her. That's where the story unfolded. She wore an oversized white polo, a vintage scarf around her neck, blue baggy trousers, and white sneakers. Her voice, reciting the poem against the sad piano background, was akin to the feeling after rainfall.
Poetry of Week
What It Means to be a Writer in Nigeria | Chiwenite Onyekwelu
If I was more couragrous I’d say half dead.
The thing about dying is you never
arrive. Before the worms there is the knife.
And before the knife, a hand.
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Eme nenyo (Good luck—Ewe. Fodome Helu, Volta Region, Ghana)