June Opportunities for African Writers
Up to $490, Print Publication, Contests, Training, Funded Travel etc
This newsletter is published every Wednesday at 5pm WAT.
1. Storm Shelter is Open for Submissions
Storm Shelter is a printed journal of poetry, prose and visual art, supported by Fingal Arts Fingal County Council, Dublin UNESCO City of Literature and Dublin City Council.
Deadline: 8th June 2025, 11.59pm GMT | Pay: Up to €60
Things to note:
Please only submit to ONE CATEGORY per issue.
For POETRY, submit up to THREE (3) poems (max 40 lines per poem), all complied in ONE (1) single document, either WORD DOC or PDF, using TIMES NEW ROMAN / FONT SIZE 11 or similar.
For PROSE, submit up to TWO (2) pieces of prose (max 1500 words per piece), all complied in ONE (1) single document, either WORD DOC or PDF, using TIMES NEW ROMAN / FONT SIZE 11 or similar
Submissions should comprise of an email with a brief GREETING to Damien (Hello, I hope you are well, I would like to submit my poem / prose / art…) and a bio in the 3rd person (max 75 words) in the body of the email.
Emails should be titled The Storms Poetry Submission / The Storms Prose Submission / The Storms Art Submission.
Submissions should not have been previously published but you are welcome to submit pieces that have appeared on social media – X, Instagram, Faceboo
Email submissions to thestormssubmissions@yahoo.com and include a 3rd person bio (max 75 words) in the body of the email. This can include your name, however, please remember that the document with your submission should not include your name, either in the title or inside it. Call the document Storms Submission Poetry / Storms Submission Prose
2. Things Fall Apart Festival Essay Competition
As part of the 2025 Things Fall Apart Festival (June 25-July 5th) which celebrates the life and work of Chinua Achebe, Ncheta Ndigbo invites entries for the Annual Essay Competition on the topic "Beyond Strength and Silence: Rethinking Masculinity and Femininity in Achebe’s Things Fall Apart"
Deadline: 14th June 2025 | Prize: Total of N450,000 per Category
Things to note:
This contest is divided into three categories: Secondary School Students, Tertiary School Students, The General Public.
“This theme invites essayists to go beyond traditional readings of gender in Things Fall Apart. We want you to interrogate how societal definitions of “manliness” and “womanhood” affect individual choices, relationships, and even the downfall of a culture. Can vulnerability be strength? Can silence be resistance? Through the characters of Okonkwo, Nwoye, Ekwefi, and others, how does Achebe invite us to rethink what it means to be strong, or to break?”—NN
Word count:
Secondary Students: 800–1,200 words
Tertiary Students: 1,300–1,500 words
General Category: 1,600–2,000 word
Font: Times New Roman, 12pt, double-spaced
Language: English (with Ìgbò idioms or proverbs welcome!)
No names, watermarks, or AI-written content allowed in your essay file.
All entries must include the writer's full name, contact information, category of entry, and institution (if applicable).
Submissions to be sent to: kedu@centreformemories.org with the subject line: Essay Submission – TFA Festival 2025
Prizes will be awarded to winners in each category, along with recognition during the festival’s grand finale on Things Fall Apart Day – July 5, 2025.
3. 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
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. 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.
6. Nsemia Publishers Call for Short Stories
Nsemia is a Pan-African publisher focusing on Africentric writings and how they impact African people on the African continent and in the Diaspora. They are inviting short story submissions on Place and Identity for their upcoming anthology: The Eternal Sunrise and Other Short Stories from Home and Away
Deadline: 30th June 2025 | Pay: Unstated
Things to note:
Submit short stories of between 2000 to 4000 words about the places you come from, where you have lived or presently live.
Submit to submissionsunrise@gmail.com and copy info@nsemia.com
7. Midnight & Indigo: Open for Submissions from Black Women
Midnight & indigo, a literary journal celebrating Black women writers, has issued a call for submissions to review short stories and narrative essays. They publish content their tri-annual literary journals. Writers are invited to share their original, fictional, or personal stories. Stories must be character-driven and leave readers with something to think about. All genres are welcome!
Deadline: 30th June 2025 | Pay: $0.07 per word
Things to note:
They are currently accepting submissions for three categories. Click each title for specific guidelines and submission links.
Short Stories: Literary fiction delves deep into the human condition, exploring themes of identity, relationships, and the intricate nuances of everyday life. (1500-7000 words)
Personal Essays: Previously unpublished, personal and evocative first-person essays that forge an immediate connection with readers. (Min of 1200 words)
All genres and writing styles are welcome. It may be helpful to view their current short stories, essays, and literary journals to get a general sense of what we publish, but don’t be afraid to push the needle!
They do not accept work created by AI. Any submissions not entirely created by a human author will be automatically rejected.
8. 2025 Africa Wiki Challenge
Open Foundation West Africa (OFWA)’s Africa Wiki Challenge is an initiative designed to generate and enhance African content on Wikipedia, with a particular focus on issues that are central to the African history, development, achievements, and ongoing struggles. This theme of year’s edition is “Reclaiming Our Narrative: Justice for Africans and the Diaspora through Reparations.”
Deadline: 30th June 2025 | Prize: Total of GHS 27,500
Things to note:
To participate in the challenge you can:
Improve and create articles related to historical injustices, reparations, and African resilience.
Upload images and media to Wikimedia Commons to visually represent key moments in African history.
Translate content into African languages to ensure wider accessibility
Engage in edit-a-thons and training sessions to collaborate with fellow Wikimedians
Only people of African descent may participate. To enter, you will need to create a Wikipedia account.
Sign up for the contest and start creating or improving Wikipedia articles related to the theme. Relevant topics are listed here.
Additionally, join the AWC Participant Telegram page for interactions and important updates.
They encourage as many individual organisers and groups as possible to organise community events around AWC 2025. More information can be found here
Use the official hashtags: #AfricaWikiChallenge, #AWC, #AWC2025 to share your contributions and connect with fellow participants.
9. African Writers Awards 2025
The 8th Edition of the African Writers Awards is now open. This edition calls for original works of poetry and short stories based on the theme: “African Pride; A Cultural Narrative.”
Deadline: 1st July 2025 | Prize: $250
Things to note:
Submit to ONLY ONE genre. Submissions in both genres will be disqualified.
Submissions must be on theme:African Pride: A Cultural Narrative
Poetry length: 14 lines MINIMUM
Stories must be between 3,000 and 5,000 words
Entries must not have been previously published anywhere, including personal blogs.
They do not accept submissions generated by AI.
10. Submit Speculative Fiction to Midnight and Indigo
Midnight & indigo, a literary journal celebrating Black women writers. They are looking for previously unpublished, character-driven short stories that transports readers to the unknown. Whether your story delves into the eerie, explores dystopian futures, unveils supernatural wonders, or unfolds in fantastical realms, they’re here for it. Speculative fiction is a broad genre encompassing elements that transcend the boundaries of our everyday reality.
Deadline: 1st September 2025 | Pay: Up to $490
Things to note:
Word count: 2,000-7,000
All submissions will be considered for publication on a rolling basis on midnightandidigo.com or in our Speculative fiction special issue (online and/or print).
They offer $0.07 per word for Short Stories accepted for publication in our annual Speculative issue and on midnightandindigo.com. Rates and word count based upon the final, edited piece. They pay upon publication
Submissions should be submitted in proper short story manuscript format with your name, email address, and the story’s total word count on the first page. Click here for an example of proper short story manuscript format.
They accept only previously unpublished work. Responses will be provided in 3-4 months.
Prose of the Week
An Impossible Love | Relme Divingu
Twenty-five-year-old Ngentsa looked at her parents straight in eyes and said:
― I am in love with Nidji!
― Nidjiiiiiii? Are you sure? Her mother, Oula, asked.
Ngentsa nodded.
― But… He is a robot! Exclaimed her father, Amasingue. Ngentsa, have you gone crazy? Oula, you see? You see? I told you to watch your daughter. Now, note for yourself; she’s in love with a robot!
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
Sahibu (KiSwahili Poem) | Agaba Witness
Sahibu si achekaye, ni achekaye na mana
Siye nawe aliaye, ni akupaye amana
Si pendo akwambiaye, ndiye mnaopendana
Siye nawe achezaye, ni mnaogandamana
Na yeye suhubiana, akufaaye dhikini…
(This poem, “Sahibu” is about friendship. A friend, as portrayed in the first stanza, is not he who laughs with you nor who cries with you. It is he who laughs from the heart, it is the one who tries the best to solve the problem rather than just crying with you.)
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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Ndéela muudi wa busemu. (I wish you a path of success —Chiluba, Democratic Republic of Congo)
We love this, Esoho. I am team of editors and reviewers from EVer magazine that publishes literary works in indigenous languages. We've an open call for submissions on the theme of LIBERTY.
Love your work here Esoho!