Funded: Opportunities for African Writers
Up to N2,250,000, Book Publication, Contests, Digital Publication etc
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1. Shenandoah: Call for Eco-Creative Non-Fiction
Editor DW McKinney is interested in reading ECO–CREATIVE NONFICTION that explores your relationship to the natural world, whether in rural or urban environments. She welcomes elegies and hymns, the celebratory epistolary, meditations, memoir—whatever you envision as long as you demonstrate your relationship and interactions with nature.
Deadline: Till cap reached | Pay: unstated amount
Guidelines:
Word count: Strictly between 1000-4000 words. No academic writing.
No multiple submissions.
Submitted work should be previously unpublished in English.
Work simultaneously submitted elsewhere will be considered, but she asks that you withdraw the work immediately if it is accepted.
To submit, click here.
2. Short Course: Writing, Editing and The Business of Publishing
African Writers Trust is a body that aims to bridge the divide between African writers and publishing professionals living in the Diaspora and on the continent. They are organising a short course to enable writers gain an understanding of the possibilities of creative writing, equiping them with the knowledge and skills needed in editing and preparing manuscripts for publication, and introducing them to the business of publishing.
Deadline: 23rd September 2024. | Compensation: Free workshop
Things to note:
The course will hold 15th to 20th October, 2024 at Hotsprings Villas Hotel, in Kampala, Uganda. Accommodation at the hotel is catered for.
Applications are only open to writers from: Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Burundi, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia, Djibouti, South Sudan, Sudan and Somaliland.
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 course.
To apply, fill this form.
3. UNDP’s Tax for SDGs Undergraduate Essay Competition
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is dedicated to raising awareness and sparking new ideas to help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This contest invites students to share their thoughts and propose solutions on how tax policies can drive progress toward the SDGs in Nigeria.
Deadline: 1st October | Prize: Total of N2,250,000
How to enter:
Open to all undergraduate Nigerian students in any discipline, currently enrolled in a recognized university or college in the country. Identification document required.
Themes:
Exploring the potential of Innovative Tax Policies and Strategies to drive sustainable development for progress towards closing the SDGs financing Gap in Nigeria.
Exploring linkages between inclusive and sustainable tax systems on environmental sustainability, digital economy and trade.
Strengthening tax systems to combat Illicit Financial Flows in Nigeria for progress towards closing the SDGs financing Gap in Nigeria.
Essays will be evaluated based on relevance, originality, analysis, clarity etc.
Essay Length: Essays should be between 1,500 and 2,000 words.
Language: Submissions should be in English.
Format: Essays must be typed, double-spaced, and submitted in PDF.
Submissions must be original and unpublished. Plagiarism will result in disqualification. Do not use AI.
To submit your essay, use this link.
4. New Contrast Literary Magazine
New Contrast is one of South Africa's oldest literary journals, specialising in literature and art from writers and artists across the world. “We would like to see the conscious indication of the craft of poetry, the use of poetics to give a particular quality to the material presented…As far as the short story, or short fiction goes, the writing must be clear and vigorous; it must engage the reader and through the building of tension create a satisfying or challenging resolution of tension by the end of the piece. “
Deadline: 15th October 2024 | Compensation: Magazine copy + 25% discount on next purchase
Guidelines:
Preferred file formats: DOC or DOCX. For images: Submit JPEG files with a minimum size of 2MB.
Poetry submissions: Submit up to 3 poems, with a maximum of 65 lines per poem.
Alternatively, you may submit one piece of short story, non-fiction, or a novel extract (up to 4,000 words)
Please submit a review, memoir, essay, criticism, or reflective/opinion piece (up to 1,500 words).
Cover letter: Every submission must include a cover letter. Tell them a bit about yourself and your work, and please include a 50-word author bio written in the third-person.
Email: Please ensure your email address is included somewhere in the document.
Simultaneous submissions: If your submission is being considered by another publication, please mention this in your cover letter or email.
5. Shuter & Shooter Publishers: Call for Manuscripts
Shuter & Shooter is a leading South African publishing companies, specialising in educational learning and teaching materials and South African literature. They are inviting manuscript submissions from African language authors.
Deadline: 31st October | Compensation: Unstated
Things to note:
Unpublished manuscripts of Drama, Folklore, Novels, Short Stories and Poetry are invited for submission to ilmanuscripts@shutter.co.za
Manuscripts should be entirely unpublished and not under consideration elsewhere.
Manuscripts must indicate target readership (e.g. 13-15 years) in addition to the title, a brief description (200-250 words), name of author and/or compiler, and contact information (email and phone number).
Manuscripts must be written in Times New Roman, font size 12, with 1.15 line spacing.
Source: Brittle Paper.
6. Commonwealth Short Story Prize 2025
The Commonwealth Foundation is an intergovernmental organisation mandated by its Member States to advance the interests of Commonwealth civil society. This annual prize is awarded to the best piece of unpublished short fiction by a commonwealth writer.
Deadline: 1st November 2024. | Compensation: Total of £15,000
Things to note:
The prize covers the Commonwealth regions of 1. Africa, 2. Asia, 3. Canada and Europe, 4. Caribbean and 5. Pacific.
Entrants must be aged 18 years or over on 1 November 2024.
Only one entry per writer each year may be submitted for the Commonwealth Short Story Prize.
The story must be original work and should not have been published anywhere, in full orin part, in any language, before 1 May 2025. Published work is taken to mean published in any printed, publicly accessible form, e.g. anthology, magazine, newspaper. It is also taken to mean published online, exceptfor personal blogs, personal websites and personal Facebook pages.
Simultaneous submissions are eligible as long as the entrant informs the organisers (via creatives@commonwealthfoundation.com) immediately should the story be accepted for publication elsewhere or be selected for a prize.
Entries must be 2,000 words minimum, 5,000 words maximum (not including title).
Entries in English should be submitted in Arial 12-point font and double line spacing. For entries in other languages, the appropriate font should be used. All pages should be numbered.
For more guidelines please see here.
7.Sillerman First Book Prize for African Poetry
The Sillerman First Book Prize for African Poetry is awarded annually, by the African Book Poetry Fund, to an African poet who has not yet published a collection of poetry. An “African writer” is taken to mean someone who was born in Africa, who is a national or resident of an African country, or whose parents are African.
Deadline: 1st December 2024. | Prize: $1000 + publication
Things to note:
Only poets who have NOT published a book-length poetry collection can apply. This includes self-published books if they were sold online, in stores, or at readings.
Writers who have edited and published an anthology or a similar collection of other writers’ work remain eligible.
Only poetry submissions in English can be considered. Work translated from another language to English is accepted, but a percentage of the prize will be awarded to the translator.
Manuscripts should be at least 50 pages long.
Times New Roman or Arial, 12 point font, single-spaced. One poem per page, meaning a new poem does not begin on the same page on which another ends.
The author’s name should not appear on the manuscript.
Please include a cover page listing only the title of the manuscript (not the author’s name, address, telephone number, or email address).
An acknowledgements page listing the publication history of individual poems may be included, if desired.
Times New Roman or Arial, 12 point font, single-spaced. We also prefer one poem per page, meaning a new poem does not begin on the same page on which another ends.
8. Salo Press: Call for Submissions for ‘The Flirtations’
Salo Press is an independent publisher of poetry and prose. The Flirtations is their chapbook imprint with twenty four titles currently in print. They are currently seeking manuscripts for publication under this imprint.
Deadline: Rolling basis | Compensation: 50% of profits + author copy.
How to submit:
They are seeking works up to 32 pages, including but not limited to: Poetry, Poetry Sequences, Single Short Stories, Linked Short Stories, Fictions, Non-Fiction, Essays, Experiments.
Send your manuscript as a .doc or .pdf to editorsalopress@gmail.com, quoting ‘The Flirtations‘ in the subject header.
Include a brief cover letter.
9. New Media Writing Prize (2024)
The NMWP encourages and promotes the best in new-media writing and is leading the way toward the future of the ‘written’ word and interactive storytelling. They are looking for works that fall within the following categories: Fictional interactive digital narrative, Non-fictional interactive digital narrative, Epoetry, Interactive journalism, and I-documentary. However, they accept other new media related writing which do not fall within these categories.
Deadline: 1st February 2025, 23:59 GMT | Compensation: : £1000 + Inclusion in The British Library
Guidelines:
Each entry should contain the following information within the text of the online form:
Title of the work
Entrant’s contact details: name, email address, telephone number, city, and country. For joint entries, all entrants’ contact details must be provided with identification of the main entrant for contact purposes;
Access details, e.g. URL. If an app, we will need 6 free access codes for the judges. If sharing from cloud storage (e.g. Google Drive), you must ensure sharing permissions are set to “public” or “anyone with a link” or equivalent.
Entrant’s short biography (50-100 words). For joint entries, all entrants must provide their biographies.
Student entrants must provide a proof of identity which should be copied into the entry form, in the short biography section, e.g. a scan copy of entrant’s Student Union ID card or university enrolment number, which will be authenticated at the organiser’s discretion.
No attachments will be accepted.
Please read previously shortlisted entries to get a sense of what they’re looking for.
To review their terms and conditions, click here.
To submit, please fill this form.
Prose of the Week
The Last Time I Saw My Father | Chinua Ezenwa-Ohaeto
In the fading light of my father’s life, I watched helplessly as the man I once knew as vibrant and full of life slowly withered away. Though I loved him fiercely as a son, I did not realize how great my father was until years after his death.
If you’d like your prose featured in ‘Prose of The Week’ send an email to editor.afww@gmail.com.
Your Mother’s Shadow | Salama Wainaina
Your first lesson on how to be a woman was learned at your mother’s knee.
The lesson itself – a woman is a home built by layers upon layers of silence,
And a woman should know when to bite her tongue, even if it bleeds
You were very young – you did not realize the weight of this teaching…
If you’d like your poetry featured in ‘Poetry of The Week’ send an email to editor.afww@gmail.com.
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Lagô gnin mou djôro! (Good luck!—Bété, Côte D’Ivoire)