October Opportunities for African Writers
Up to $42,000, Contests, Book Publication, Digital Publication etc
This newsletter is published every Wednesday at 5pm WAT.
1. Call for Submissions: This Way Lies Madness
In the tradition of Poe’s ‘A Tell-tale Heart’ and Gilman’s ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’, This Way Lies Madness (publishing September 2025), by Flame Tree Fiction, will bring together a twisted tangle of dark stories featuring monstrous manifestations of trauma and guilt, paranoia and persecution, anxiety, addiction, and crippling terror. In these pages, readers should expect to find madness in all its forms, without the tired stigmatising tropes.
Deadline: 13th October 2024. | Pay: 8 cents/6 pence per word.
How to submit:
Send submissions to: madness@flametreepublishing.com
Please only submit unpublished/original/new stories for consideration. Reprints will not be accepted for consideration.
The subject line of the email must be the story title.
The file with the story must be attached to the email (.docx, .doc or .rtf format).
The name of the file must match the name in the subject line.
If submitting more than one story, please submit one story per email.
The file name of the submission must be the story name only.
Please just use spaces between words in the title (not _ or - ).
If the story name starts with A or The, please use it at the beginning of the file name.
Story length is most likely to be successful at 2000 to 4000 words, but they will still read stories slightly outside this range.
If submitting a story that has recently been submitted to Flame Tree for consideration to another anthology, please state this in the submission email.
2. Apply to The Kenyon Review Fellowship
This two-year post-graduate residential fellowship at Kenyon College offers qualified individuals time to develop as writers, teachers, and editors. The fellowship represents a significant fulfilment of one aspect of Kenyon’s continuing mission: to recognise, publish, and support extraordinary authors in the early stages of their careers.
Deadline: 15th October 2024 | Compensation: $42,000 + health benefits
Things to note:
Fellows are expected to:
Undertake a significant writing project and attend regular individual meetings with faculty mentors.
Teach one class per semester in the English Department of Kenyon College, contingent upon departmental needs.
Assist with creative and editorial projects for The Kenyon Review.
Participate in the cultural life of Kenyon College by regularly attending readings, lectures, presentations, and other campus activities.
Hold no other teacher, graduate study, or fellowship obligations for the duration of the Kenyon Review Fellowship
Qualifications include an MFA in creative writing, or a PhD in creative writing, English literature, or comparative literature.
The degree must be completed between January 1, 2019 and September 15, 2024.
Applications must be submitted electronically through Kenyon’s employment website. A complete application must include the following:
A one-page cover letter
A curriculum vitae
An 8-10 page writing sample
A one-page course proposal for an undergraduate introductory level multi-genre creative writing class
An unofficial transcript
Two letters of recommendation, one of which should directly address the applicant’s teaching ability.
3. Writers Space Africa 96th Edition
Writers Space Africa (WSA) Magazine is a dynamic and inclusive international literary publication, dedicated to amplifying the voices of African writers and sharing their diverse perspectives with a global audience. For their 96th edition, they are inviting submissions under the theme: retrospection. They accept accept Children's Literature, Creative Non-Fiction, Flash Fiction, Poetry, and Short Stories.
Deadline: 15th October 2024 | Pay: Unstated
Guidelines
Word count: Flash Fiction – 300 words maximum
Poetry – 1 poem, a maximum of 24 lines
Short Stories – 1,500 words maximum
Please edit your work and submit it to one category only.
Include the title and category in your submission.
Editors will revert to both selected writers and those whose works are not selected.
Editors will reach out to all authors by November 2024.
All selected and published entries will be uploaded to the website in the days after the magazine is released.
The author retains the copyright.
To submit your work, click here.
4. Lagos Poetry Slam
Lagos International Poetry Festival (LIPFest) 2024 is a tribute to curiosity and discovery, a preoccupation with what the poet Derek Walcott calls “the astonishment of the soul.” The festival is inviting poets to participate in a contest under the 2024 theme “The Science of Things” which seeks to use art to blend inquiry, imagination, language, and science for sustainable living, while resisting political and economic co-option.
Deadline: 20th October 2024 | Prize: N2,000,000
How to enter:
Write and record an original one-minute video of a poem on the theme “The Science of Things.”
Register and upload your video using this link – https://forms.gle/SBrnpg8ZaRqdboSWA
Videos must be clear and recorded without props or background music.
Poems can be in English or any other Nigerian/African language.
Poems may not contain excessive violence, explicit language and/or degrading language in reference to any group of people and persons.
Submitting poets must be between 18 and 35 years of age.
Stand a chance to qualify as one of two wild card entries by uploading your poem on TikTok with the hashtags #LIPFest2024Slam and #TheScienceOf Things. Follow and tag us on @lagospoetryfestival.
Two entries with the highest number of likes/engagement will qualify as wild cards.
Only one submission allowed per poet. Poets who make more than one entry will be automatically disqualified.
Poems will be judged by a carefully selected team of judges.
Ten shortlisted poets will be announced on the 23rd of October 2024.
Shortlisted poets will compete live for on the Sunday 27th of October 2024 at #LIPFest2024. Location: Alliance Française Lagos.
5. Dinaane Debut Fiction Award
The Jacana Literary Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation which runs literary awards to celebrate African writing. With this award, they focus on debut writers, looking to encourage new writing talent. The media house says that sometimes wonderful, illuminating and challenging fiction doesn’t get published because publishers are more and more constrained by market forces.
Deadline: 22nd October 2024 | Prize: R35 000 + publishing contract
Guidelines:
Although entries must be primarily in English, they welcome innovative writing and the exploration of languages, capturing the multilingual landscape in the continent and the world.
You may only enter once; all subsequent entries after the first submission will be disqualified.
Only permanent residents or citizens of South Africa and other southern African countries may apply.
Authors must not have had a work of fiction (novel or novella) formally published prior to the award. Self-published authors may apply, provided that the work was published only online and no physical copies made. Should the work be shortlisted, such online version must be taken down.
Entrants’ name should not be included on the manuscript being submitted, as the award is judged blind and the author remains anonymous until the shortlist has been selected.
An electronic copy of the manuscript, along with a short biography (100 words or less) and author details should be submitted to Jacana Media via the form below.
3 physical copies of the work must be submitted to the Jacana Media Offices, 10 Orange Street, Sunnyside, Auckland Park, Johannesburg, 2092.
Incomplete entries will be disqualified.
Please number your pages; use a font size of 12, Times New Roman and 1.5 spacing (avoid unnecessary formatting such as borders).
Manuscripts should be a minimum of 40 000 words in length.
Intertextuality and references must be appropriately attributed and permissions from copyright holders obtained. This includes poems; song lyrics; quotes and excerpts from books, newspapers, magazines, journals; and reproductions of artwork, photographs or other forms.
Submissions must have been authored by one person. Co-authored pieces or works of collaboration do not qualify.
By entering their manuscript, authors agree not to submit their work for publication to any other avenues until the announcement of the shortlist. Any entries which secure a publishing deal before the shortlist has been confirmed will be disqualified.
6. 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 October 2024 | Compensation: publication
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.
7. Submit to The Dodge
The Dodge is a literary magazine based in Wooster, Ohio, at the College of Wooster. They are seeking your best work in eco-writing, writing about animals, and translation on these themes. They are especially eager to read about other less explicable creatures as well. Eco-writing as they see it can include minerals, fungi, forests, insects, fire, etc.
Deadline: 31st October 2024 | Pay: Unstated
Guidelines:
Submit your work in .docx or PDF; Times New Roman, 12 point font. Double-space prose submissions. Single-space poetry is fine.
Fiction up to 8000 words. They are open to flash and micro fiction.
Nonfiction up to 7000 words.
Poetry up to 5 poems in one document.
Translation: Submit up to 8 poems in translation or 20 pages of prose. Submission of the work in the original language and permission from the writer is required. A short (2 page max) introduction to the writer and their work can also be included, plus an intro of the translator(s).
Do not include identifying information on your manuscript.
Cover letters are optional for all genres except translation.
Please include content notes for any material in your submission for which you think readers may appreciate advance notice. Examples include: violence, sexual assault, racism, suicide, self-harm.
They accept simultaneous submissions, but withdraw your piece on Submittable promptly if it is accepted elsewhere.
Once you have submitted work, please wait to receive a response from the editors on that submission before submitting again.
They aim to respond within 3-6 months. If you have not heard from us after 6 months, feel free to reach out.
Click your preferred category to submit: Fiction, Non-Fiction, Poetry, Translation.
8. Àtẹ́lẹwọ́ Prize for Yorùbá Literature 2025
ÀTẸ́LẸWỌ́ Cultural Initiative was founded on the 1st of June, 2017 as a response to the many challenges facing the preservation of Yorùbá culture and language. The 5th edition of the annual “ÀTẸ́LẸWỌ́ PRIZE FOR YORÙBÁ LITERATURE.” This is a special edition to celebrate the 5th anniversary of the Prize. The competition is open to previously unpublished works in Yorùbá language.
Deadline: 1st November 2024 | Prize: N1,000,000
How to enter:
Each work submitted must be a. POETRY b. PROSE c. DRAMA or d. TRANSLATION
The prize is only open to writers who haven’t published the novel, play, or book length collection of poems written in Yorùbá as at the time of this prize. This means that submitted works must not have been previously published anywhere, whether in physical book format, social media platforms or any digital book platform.
Writers interested in submitting for the prize must be at least of 18 years old.
All entries must be properly tone-marked with correct diacritics.
One writer. One Work. One Entry.
Requirements: 50-100 pages or more (1.0 spacing, font size 12)– in a Microsoft Word document format ONLY.
For Translation works, you can either translate Yorùbá books into English language, or you can translate other languages into Yorùbá language, but they encourage you to translate into Yorùbá language.
All the works you will be translating MUST be in the public domain in line with the copyright laws of Nigeria and if they are not, you must get express permission from the author or publisher of said work. Evidence of this should be attached to your submission.
Previous winners are not eligible to submit entries. By previous winners, we mean anyone whose name appears on the various shortlists below from 2021 till date.
9. Evaristo Prize for African Poetry
This annual prize was established first as the Brunel International African Poetry Prize (BIAPP) in 2012 by British writer Bernardine Evaristo, who founded and managed the prize for ten years, the Evaristo Prize was renamed and passed on to be managed by the African Poetry Book Fund in 2022. The Prize is open to African writers. 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 November 2024 | Prize: $1500
Things to note:
The prize is open to African poets who have not yet had a full-length poetry book published at the time of submission. Self-published poetry books, chapbooks, and pamphlets are exempt from this stipulation.
Only poems written in English can be considered, but we welcome poems in translation for consideration too.
No past or present paid employees of the University of Nebraska Press, Akashic Books, or Amalion Press, or current faculty, students, or employees at the University of Nebraska are eligible for the prizes.
Send manuscripts of 10 poems, no more and no less.
Poems must be the original work of the entrant and be no longer than 40 lines each.
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 entire submission must be in black ink, no colors.
Poems must be submitted in a single document without any identifying information included.
The Submittable cover letter, which will be concealed to screeners and judges, should include the entrants’ name, nationality, country of birth, full address including country of permanent residence, personal email address and telephone number.
10. Now Open: Afitondo Short Story Prize 2025
Afritondo is a media and publishing platform that aims to connect with and tell the stories of Africans and black minority populations across the globe. For the 2025 prize, they want writers to respond to the theme of “masks”: spiritual, psychological, social, and cultural coverings that people wear. To read more about the theme, visit here.
Deadline: 23rd December 2024. | Prize: Total of $1400
Things to note:
You may only submit an entry if you meet any of the following eligibility requirements:
•You are a citizen or national of an African country.
•One of your parents is a national of an African country.
•You are of black ethnicity or belong to a black minority population anywhere in the world.
Submissions must be in English and must reflect the theme.
Only one submission per writer is allowed.
The submission, including the title, must be between 3000 and 5000 words.
The submission should be in Microsoft Word (doc, docx) and in the following format:
•Double-spaced, Times New Roman or Calibri font, 12-point size.
•The title of the story should appear at the top of the first page, followed by the word count. No further information is required.
• Every page must be numbered.
The author’s name or detail must not be included anywhere on the document to be uploaded. The document must contain only the title, word count, and story.
Submission is accepted only via email. Entries should be sent to submissions@afritondo.com. The subject of the submission should read: Submission for Afritondo Short Story Prize 2025.
The filename of the entry (i.e. the attached document) must be the title of the short story. In the body of the form, share briefly about yourself, including such information as your legal name, country of residence, age (optional), and contact details.
Entries must not have been previously published or shortlisted for another prize. Also, entries published or shortlisted during the judging or publishing process will be disqualified.
Entrants agree as a condition of entry that the prize organisers may publicise the fact that a story has been entered, longlisted, or shortlisted for the prize.
Where a story has been longlisted, it can no longer be withdrawn from the competition.
By submitting an entry, the author agrees to its inclusion in an anthology should the judges select it and to work with editors to get the story ready for publication.
11. Fahmidan Journal: Open for Submissions
Fahmidan comes out four times a year online. “Send your thought-provoking existentialism, your phobias, your darkest moments. Entrance with your whimsical fantasy. Move to tears with your truth in a world of suffering.”—Fahmidan
Deadline: Rolling basis | Pay: $25 per piece
How to submit:
This is an English language journal. However, submissions partially containing other languages are very much welcome but they do not publish translations.
Send only accept unpublished work that has not appeared in any publicly-accessible forum or otherwise.
Please only submit once per submission category at a time.
No AI generated work.
Poetry: Submit up to 3 Poems.
Poems should be no longer than 3 A4 pages but they’re open to diverse formats as.
Poems should be single-spaced and each begin on a new page. Please clearly indicate when a poem goes beyond one page.
Short Fiction and Non-Fiction: Submit one piece of between 1000 and 2500 words.
Flash Fiction and Non-Fiction: Submit up to two pieces of no more than 800 words.
Click here to submit.
Prose of the Week
The House of Ịzụagbalubenze | Azubuike Samuel
Grandfather has been calling for a family reunion for as long as I have been at the House of Ịzụagbalubenze—1445 days, 18 hours and counting. He keeps a reminder and makes me call every member of his family every few weeks, telling them that he wants to see them all at the same time. It’s always one excuse or the other. Nobody seems to have the time…
If you’d like your prose featured in ‘Prose of The Week’ send an email to editor.afww@gmail.com.
Poetry of the Week
Leaves | Abu Ibrahim
I have always wondered what leaves felt of falling
Is it relief from hanging on for so long?
Is it pain from being cut off the family tree?
If you’d like your prose featured in ‘Poetry of The Week’ send an email to editor.afww@gmail.com.
Thanks for diving into our newsletter! Don't miss out—subscribe now (if you haven’t) for a weekly curated list including writing competitions, publishing opportunities, grants, fellowships, and content crafted to fuel the growth of African writers. Join the literary journey!
Diwongo-diwongo (Good luck—Duala, Cameroon)