Open Opportunities for African Writers
Free masterclasses, prizes over £12,000, sponsored travel.
This newsletter is published every Wednesday. It has sections for creative/content writing and technical writing.
1. Call for Applications: 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Self-published and unpublished short stories are not eligible.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.
2. 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.
3. SpingNG is now accepting submissions for 2024
SpringNg is accepting submissions in all genres from African writers for publication on their platform.
Deadline: March 2024 | Prize: N3500 per accepted piece.
Guidelines.
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.
Click here to submit.
4. Black History Month Essay Contest for South Africans
The Embassy of the United States in South Africa has announced the launch of a written and oral essay competition entitled “I HAVE A DREAM – WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE” . In reflecting on the experience of 30 years of the challenges and successes of democracy, the essay should tap into the hopes for what the country could look towards in the next 30 years.
Deadline: 29th February 2024, 11:59 p.m. Pretoria time | Prize: Macbook, Ipad, Ipad mini
Entry details:
South African youth aged 16-20 years old are invited to write an essay of 400 words or less that relates to their dreams and vision of a positive future for South Africa, and a video of them reading that essay.
Submissions must be in English.
The text and video should be submitted by email, including a private YouTube or other shareable video link of the individual reading their essay as though they were addressing an audience.
Once a video is uploaded to the chosen platform, it is considered a final submission and may not be modified or replaced. Individual contestants may submit only one essay and one corresponding video.
Entry email should include:
Full name
Date of birth/age
School (if enrolled)
Telephone number
Email address
Title and text of the original essay and video
Applicant’s social media handles (if applicable)
Applicant’s contact information
Link to the video of you reading your essay on YouTube or other shareable video platform
9 finalists (one from each province) will be invited to Gauteng to present their essays orally and the top 3 winners will be selected by an expert panel.
To browse the rules and find links and relevant emails for submission please click the button below.
5. Call for Submissions: Black Feminist Collective
The Black Feminist Collective is an intergenerational group of Black feminists and womanists who stand for Black liberation in its entirety. They are seeking essays, articles, interviews, artworks etc, from Black feminists and womanists, for their Spring 2024 publication.
Deadline: 26th February 2024 | Prize: Professional Consulting and Publication
Notes to guide submission:
Please provide your email address in order for us to work with you to edit your work before it’s published.
If the work you are submitting has been published before, please copy + paste a link to it was originally published, and we’ll cite it.
Describe your submission(s).
If your work contains graphic and explicit content, and please provide a content warning.
Pick at least one of the following sections in which you want your works to be published: Resource lists, Art, Politics, Movements, Culture, Interviews and Conversations, Reflections and Personal Narratives.
All writings must be at least 100 words.
Resource lists must be accompanied by a brief overview.
Both video essays and audio essays must be accompanied by a transcript, or be transcribed before it’s published. If you’re submitting video essays to the submissions form, please only upload the transcript.
Clarify if you want your visual artwork to be published individually, or if you want it to be featured on another person’s works for future publications.
If you want your visual pieces to be published individually, it should be accompanied by a title and a description, or by an optional 100+ word piece.
If the artwork is you’re submitting is a picture of someone else, you must also have their written consent to be photographed and featured in order for it to be published—please confirm this with us!
Upload at least one picture per submission.
Please give credit to the creator(s) of the image you are uploading.
If you’re submitting your writings, and you don’t want to upload an image, you can pick one of your favorite quotes to appear at the top of your published work. View this example.
For more information, click here.
6. 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.
7. Efiko Magazine: Call for Submissions for First Edition of 2024
EFIKO is an online literary magazine with a focus on Africa as both place and perspective. It is the definitive publication for bookish folks interested in Africa. “We are always seeking poems, short stories, and essays of the highest quality from writers of African origin based anywhere in the world or anyone writing about Africa”—Efiko.
Deadline: unstated. | Compensation: N20,000
Things to note:
Length: poetry – 2 to 5 poems totalling 10 pages; short story and essay – 2,000 to 7,000 words.
Manuscript: typeset in Times New Roman, 12 points, double-spaced, with numbered pages.
Submission method: please email your submission as a Word document attachment to submissions@efikomag.com. Indicate the genre of your submission in the subject line of your email. Save the attached document with your name and the genre of your work. Include a 5-line bio in the body of the email.
Simultaneous submissions: They allow simultaneous submissions but please notify them promptly if your work is accepted elsewhere.
Multiple submissions: submit only one piece per issue.
Response: They aim to respond within 3 months. If you do not get a response after this time, please send an inquiry to editors@efikomag.com.
Revision: They will not allow extensive revision from contributors after work has been accepted.
Reprint: except in special cases, they only accept original, previously unpublished work. They will not accept work that already exists online.
Rights: They ask for first serial rights and for rights to republish in a collection. Rights revert to you after publication. If you reprint your work elsewhere, they ask that you acknowledge them as the first publisher.
8. Brittle Paper’s Free Masterclass in The Basics of Fiction Writing
Brittle Paper is an online literary magazine for readers of African Literature. They are currently offering free Masterclasses in the basics of fiction writing led by 5 African authors: Molara Wood, Eghosa Imaseun, Zukiswa Wanner, Ellah Wakatama and Chiemeka Garricks.
Deadline: unstated | Prize: Masterclass
Things to note:
The five classes are: Theme with Molara Wood, Setting with Eghosa Imaseun, Plot with Zukiswa Wanner, Language and Style with Ellen Wakatama, Character Development with Chiemeka Garricks.
To enrol in any class, you have to create a free Brittle Paper account.
You can enrol in multiple classes simultaneously.
To register, click the text of your preferred class.
Technical Writing
1. Internet Society Early Career Fellowship Application
The Internet Society is a global charitable organisation empowering people to keep the Internet a force for good: open, globally connected, secure, and trustworthy. Their Early Career Fellowship empowers a new, diverse generation of Internet champions who will bridge the gap between technology and policy, becoming advocates for the open, globally connected, secure, and trustworthy Internet.
Deadline: 7th February 2024, 23:59 UTC. | Prize: Fellowship + Stipend
Conditions to apply:
You must have an undergraduate/vocational degree or at least three years of work experience in an Internet-related field
Less than ten years of working experience in an Internet-related field
An innovative and impactful project proposal for growing and/or strengthening the Internet
Reliable access to a broadband Internet connection and relevant device
The availability to fully participate in the 5-month experience
Proficiency in verbal and written English.
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
Say Bye Bye To Being A Good Girl Sis. | Angel Nduka-Nwosu
The thing about being a “good girl” especially in the eyes of men is that you try so hard to fit into their numerous definitions of what a good woman is. It then leads you to engaging in a pantomime of pretence and muling at each family gathering just so you can get a few claps.
Poetry of the Week
(this poem is not written in stanzas)
Two-Year-Old a Metaphor | Adamu Yahuza Abdullahi
two-year-old a metaphor & i spill into this poem where I decide to die
with you everyday – my verses have no Gabriel left, only Azraeel
folding you into a refuge for bullets in my mouth. you, a fraying bayonet
drowning in the waters of life. i am still learning the proper ways to love
you…
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Ta dagbé na gni towé (A good head will follow you—Fongbe, Republic of Benin)