March 2024 Opportunities for African Writers
Up to £12,000, Jobs, Digital Publication etc
This newsletter is published every Wednesday.
1. HumAngle: Accepting Pitches
HumAngle is a niche media platform committed to insightful and objective coverage of Africa’s conflict, humanitarian, and development issues. They accept pitches from freelancers across Africa every quarter. “Is the story unique and within our coverage area? Do you have the ability to tell it? Then, by all means, send us a proposal.”- Hum Angle
Timeline: 1-21st March 2024 | Compensation: Unstated
Things to note:
Their main coverage areas include accountability and good governance; climate change, energy, and environment; conflict and humanitarian crises; development; disinformation; displacement and migration; election security; extremism; gender; and human rights.
They only fund investigative story pitches.
Pitches should show that you have access to an original story that is of public interest, which you have the capacity to treat with depth and eloquence.
They have a bias for pitches with a multimedia component, no matter how little. This could be a plan to produce a video explainer, feature podcast, animated video, or short documentary.
Pitches should be submitted alongside a budget that includes projected expenses on lodging, movement, fixer fees, and per diem.
2. Enter Sprinng’s Annual Poetry Contest
Sprinng seeks to empower diverse African writers, amplifying their voices, and celebrating their literature. For the 2024 edition of their poetry contest, in partnership with Poetry Column NND, they’re inviting submissions in the line with the prompt: Write a simple poem on any theme of your choice between 8-10 lines. The line count doesn't include the poem's title..
Timeline: 1st Mar - 30th June 2024 | Prize: Total of N75,000
Guidelines:
Only Nigerian writers living in Nigeria are eligible for this contest. Only one submission per person is allowed.
Write a simple poem on any theme of your choice between 8-10 lines.
The line count doesn't include the poem's title.
Put a line space between the title and the poem - if the poem has a title.
Only one submission per writer is allowed.
The poem may be already published or unpublished.
Do not submit prose-poetry or poems without clear line breaks.
Do not go below or exceed the line limit provided - 8-10 lines.
Submission link will be made available by 1st of March on their website.
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. Sprinng is accepting submissions for 2024
They are accepting submissions in all genres from African writers.
Deadline: 31st March 2024. | Renumeration: N3500 per accepted piece
Things to note:
You may submit up to 2 pieces (of the same or different genres) for this period only.
You may submit Poetry, Fiction (Flash fiction, Short Stories, etc.), or Creative Nonfiction (Essays, Book Reviews, etc.).
Writers have the option of submitting on any theme(s) of their choice.
Work(s) submitted should not have been published elsewhere (on a literary platform, personal blog, or social media page).
Please ensure that your work(s) are well-edited and proofread prior to submission.
Click here to submit now.
5. Caine Prize for African Writing 2024
The AKO Caine Prize for African Writing is a registered charity whose aim is to bring African writing to a wider audience using our annual literary award. They are now accepting applications for the 2024 edition of the prize.
Deadline: 31st March 2024. | Prize: £12,000 (£10,000 for winner + £500 for 4 others)
Rules of entry:
The story must have been published in the five years preceding the submissions deadline. For 2024 eligibility, the judges will only consider work published between 1st April 2019 and 25th March 2024.
Entries must be more than 3,000 words or less than 10,000 words.
Entries must be submitted by a publisher. This includes publishers of physical and digital books, literary journals, magazines, and arts oriented websites.
Writers must be over 18 years of age at the time of submission.
Self-published and unpublished short stories are not eligible.
Publishers are encouraged to submit multiple short stories as long as they do not submit more than one story by the same author.
Stories may only be entered for consideration for The Caine Prize for African Writing once. Unfortunately, this means that you may not re-submit a story for consideration, even if it was not selected for the shortlist.
Genres not eligible for entry include: novels, children’s stories, factual writing, academic essays, plays, poetry, autobiography/biography, and any work that does not constitute a fictional short story.
Submissions must specify which African country the author comes from and the short story word count.
Publishers are required to upload a ‘publisher’s letter’ with each submission. See below for more information:
Publishers are required to provide:
Name of the writer(s).
Title of the story or stories being submitted.
Word count of each submitted story.
The qualifying nationality of the writer(s).
The date of publication of the story or stories.
Confirmation of consent from the writer(s) whose stories are being submitted for the Prize.
Each story must be submitted by the publisher via email (submissions@caineprize.com) as a PDF attachment or via a link to the story (if it has been published online).
Please ensure ‘The Caine Prize for African Writing Entry for 2024’ appears in the subject matter of your email.
6. SpringNG 2024 Writing Fellowship
The SprinNG Writing Fellowship (SWF) is an intensive 6-week online mentorship program for developing Nigerian, Ghanaian, Liberian, and South African writers with great potential and willingness to learn.
Deadline: April 15, 2023. | Prize: Free 6-week writing fellowship.
Things to note:
This fellowship focuses on Poetry, Fiction, Non-Fiction, Book Review, Play/Drama, and Blogging. During the 6 weeks, mentees will be in contact with their mentors, sending them their works and getting reviews and commentaries. Mentors and mentees will aim to work on at least 1 piece of writing in their select genre per week.
The SprinNG Creative Writing Fellowship is only open to writers who have not published a book before (eBook/hardcopy).
Applicants must be a Nigerian, Ghanaian, Liberian, or South African citizen, must reside in Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia, or South Africa, and must be between the ages of 18 to 25.
For more information click here.
7. 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.
Technical Writing
Andela (Morrocco) is hiring a Remote Technical Writer
Andela exists to connect brilliance and opportunity. Since 2014, we have been dedicated to breaking down global barriers and accelerating the future of work for both technologists and organisations around the world. They are seeking a technical writer to work with the Retool platform provider to comprehend and document internal flows and processes among other responsibilities.
Deadline: Unstated. | Salary: Unstated | Type: Fully remote
Required skills:
6+ years of overall experience.
A customer-first mindset with the ability to engage with customers to ensure product alignment with their needs.
Advanced experience across the entire stack, from back-end to front-end.
Proven track record as an experienced software engineer who can implement complex solutions.
Proficient in writing maintainable code and anticipating failures.
Collaborative solid and empathetic skills to understand user requirements.
Ability to make timely technical decisions and contribute to architectural choices.
Experience with cloud-based infrastructure, particularly AWS.
Proficiency in PostgreSQL.
Ideally, experience building applications on the Retool platform.
Hiring: Hexagon Asset Lifecycle Intelligence, Cape Town
Hexagon helps clients design, construct, and operate more profitable, safe, and sustainable industrial facilities. They are looking for a technical writer to write, update, and deliver software user assistance, including documentation, virtual training, and other learning content, under moderate supervision for electrical, instrumentation, and process and instrumentation diagrams engineering software.
Deadline: Unstated | Pay: Unstated | Type: Hybrid
Required Qualifications
4 year university degree in English, Journalism, or Technical Writing
3-5 years technical writing experience.
Prose of the Week
The Headhunter by Dest Haile
The raucous applause broke the space jazz reverie on which the audience floated so high. Shouts and whoops of appreciation ricocheted off the walls of New Horizons, a tiny legend of a Parisian club. The young musicians’ sonic spontaneity soared…
Poetry of the Week
Modern Messiah by Ulysses Hill
The most high man.
He above all
He sat outside Target…
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Ina yi muku fatan alkairi (I wish you all the best—Hausa, Northern Nigeria)