Paying Opportunities for African Writers
Up to $20,000, Digital and Print Publication, Funded Travel, Grants etc
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If you or someone you referred have received an acceptance for any of the opportunities listed on African Writer Weekly, please share your win to encourage the work we do!
1. Apply to Tender Visions
Tender Photos is pleased to announce a call for applications to Tender Visions, a new cross-disciplinary commissioning program for photographers and writers based on the African continent, supported by funding from the Open Society Foundation. Sixteen writers will also be selected from this call to write original creative or critical responses to the photographic projects. “Our aim is to create space for deepened engagement with visual storytelling in Africa, and to bring new narratives to local and international audiences in insightful and thought-provoking ways.”—TP
Deadline: 15th July 2025 | Prize: £750 + possible travel stipend
Things to note:
Writers based anywhere on the African continent are invited to apply for participation in the project.
Preference will be given to writers residing in Africa due to their historically limited opportunities, though applications from the African diaspora are also welcome.
If their applications are successful, writers will be paired with a photographer to create either a critical or creative response of between 3000 to 4000 words in response to that photographer’s new series of images.
They held an information session on this opportunity you can watch a replay here.
2. Call for Submissions: Chronic
A Long House is currently open for submissions for Chronic: A Chapbook on Living with Illness, edited by Yvonne Wabai. They are looking for poems, essays, fragments, and reflections about what it means to live in a body that does not “get better.” “This is a call to the chronically ill—the sick, the disabled, the weary, the ones surviving in bodies that are dismissed and disappeared. We are looking for writing that refuses erasure—work that is raw, tender, furious, exhausted, joyful, inconvenient, alive.”—LH
Deadline: 15th July 2025 | Honorarium: $50
Things to note:
To read the full editor’s note and understand the theme better, click here.
Only poetry and nonfiction/essays are accepted
For poetry, submit up to 3 poems max in a single document
For nonfiction/essays, submit max 6,000 words
Hybrid and experimental forms welcome
Word docs or PDFs only
Include a short bio (and, if you wish, a note about your relationship to illness)
3. Kokonut Head Media: Writers in Residence Program
This is a three-month online residence program for University students and recent graduates who live and write in Africa. Up to three African writers based on the continent will be mentored through the competitive program. In the space of three months (12 weeks), each writer will produce six short stories which will be published on their website. In addition, each writer will receive mentorship and guidance towards one future writing goal.
Deadline: 15th July 2025 | Pay: $600
Things to note:
“We are looking for submissions that push the bounds of language and indigenous stories! Stories that make us feel Nostalgic. What does it mean to really represent African thought in English? What does it mean to expand local folklore, proverbs, and riddles through your writing?”
The residency will require at least 20hours per week
The residency will take place from September 2025 till November 2025
To apply, you will need a portfolio of completed stories and a proposal for a literary project which includes at least one short story.
You must be an African writer resident in Africa to apply.
To apply, fill this form.
4. Submit to Adi Magazine
Adi is a feminist literary journal of global politics. They have published African writers like Tarfa Benson, Sisonke Msimang, and Sarah Lubala. They are currently seeking essays, reprotage, interviews and translations on their theme: Alternative Political Visions. “We want examples from outside of the mainstream, stories about practices, ideas, and movements that were/are suppressed by economic, socio-cultural, religious, or imperial (colonial) powers.”—Adi
Deadline: Rolling | Pay: up to $750
Things to note:
Read more on the theme for submissions here.
To pitch an Essay or Reportage:
Send a short summary (3 paragraphs maximum) that describes the story you want to tell, how you will tell it, why it’s important, and why you’re the person to write it.
Please include 1-2 links of your previous work and send it to admin@adimagazine.com with “NONFICTION PITCH” in the subject line. Adi pays $600 for essays and $750 for reportage.
For interviews:
send interview pitches for authors with forthcoming/recent books or artists with upcoming/recent shows.
Send a short summary (3 paragraphs maximum) in the body of your email that names the writer or artist you want to interview, why this person should be interviewed at Adi, and why you’re the person to conduct the interview.
Please do not send an attachment. Please include 1-2 links of your previous work and send it to admin@adimagazine.com with “INTERVIEW PITCH” in the subject line.
For Translations: If you are a translator with work from writers who you think might fit with Adi, please get in touch.
They only accept pieces that have not been published in English. If a piece of poetry or fiction has already been translated
You may submit it through our open calls on Submittable, but, if not, feel free to email themwith a blurb about the piece at admin@adimagazine.com with “TRANSLATION PITCH” in the subject line.
They accept simultaneous submissions; please withdraw individual pieces if they are accepted elsewhere.
Please send one submission at a time, and please wait until your submission has been accepted or declined before submitting again.
5. Naija Theatre: Call for Reviews
Naija Theatre was created to give Nigerian stories told on a theatre stage the necessary support. They are calling for reviews of Nigerian Theatre productions.
Deadline: 25th July 2025. | Renumeration: N50,000
Steps to submit:
Watch a Nigerian stage play
Write a review about it
In the designated form, kindly share your name, email address and paste your review in the box provided. Once you are done filling, click submit. A black checkmark is proof that your submission was successful.
If your review is selected, you will be contacted for your cash prize and to request images where necessary.
Click here to submit.Get the best opportunities straight to your inbox every Wednesday!
6. LongReads is Accepting Submissions
Longreads accepts submissions and pitches for original work from writers and journalists around the world. They are looking for reported features, critical essays, personal essays and reading lists.
Deadline: Rolling basis | Compensation: From $350
How to submit:
Essays and columns typically run between 2,000 and 6,000 words. Pieces may be longer or broken up into a series depending on the length and subject matter. They work with established, emerging, and unpublished writers and journalists.
To pitch and critical or researched essay include in your email:
The gist. What’s the story? How do you plan to deliver it? Talk about the shape your essay will take, the concerns that power it, the evidence that you’ll use to make your case, and the conclusion your readers will take from their experience.
The context. What makes this the ideal moment for your essay? What makes Longreads the ideal forum?
The length. Does your essay need 5,000 words rather than 2,000? Why? In your pitch, briefly explain how length is necessary to your essay’s success and your readers’ enjoyment.
Personal essays: They accept only submissions and not pitches of personal essays.
Reading Lists:
Reported Stories: They accept pitches for reported features of various lengths and formats: profiles, dispatches, narrative reportage, oral histories, and more.In your pitch include:
The shape of the story. The “aboutness,” yes, but also your vision for structure and style. What story do you plan to tell, and what form will it take? What scenes or characters will it include? How will it surprise readers, or change the way they think about the world?
A reporting plan. How will you gather the evidence you need to make your story a success?
A sense of you. Share some details about yourself, along with some clips of previously published work.
They will not accept any submission or pitch written or edited using generative AI tools such as ChatGPT.
Please email essay submissions, pitches, reading list ideas, and other queries to hello@longreads.com.
7. Khoreo Magazine: Call for Speculative Fiction
Khōréō is dedicated to diversity and amplifying the voices of immigrant and diaspora authors and artists. They are currently seeking submissions under the theme: Symbiosis. They welcome, but do not require, a brief description of the author’s identity in their cover letter.
Deadline: 31st July 2025 | Pay: Up to $500
Guidelines:
Please format your story using the Shunn modern manuscript format (details at this link: https://www.shunn.net/format/story/).
Writers may omit their mailing address for submission, but accepted stories will require a mailing address for our contracts.
Please submit based on length — stories ≤1,500 words should go into the flash queue, while stories 1,501-5,000 words should go into the short story queue.
Writers may submit one story each to the Flash and Short Story queues every submission period.
Please do not send stories with gratuitous gore or violence; fridging (where a character dies or undergoes pain in service of the protagonist’s story or to serve as character development); overwhelming racist, sexist, ableist, homophobic, xenophobic, etc. elements that are not subverted or challenged; clichés; “it was all a dream” endings; stories where a person from a non-marginalized group experiences life as someone from a marginalized background.
Cover letters aren’t mandatory, but there are a few things that are really helpful for us to see from you.
Author bio: Tell us a bit about yourself! This can include, but is not limited to, your identity; past sales; inspiration for the piece or particular qualifications for writing it
Submission status: If the piece is a simultaneous submission, please let say so.
Content warnings: Please include content warnings in your cover letter and in the text of your piece. Content warnings will not impact whether or not we accept your piece; we’ve published some really dark stories.
Genre: Please include the general genre of the piece in your cover letter (fantasy, sci-fi, horror, etc.)
Feedback preference: They can’t provide feedback on every piece received, but they try where we can. If you do not want feedback, please let them know in the cover letter!
8. Pitch Your Idea to The Next Narrative Africa Fund
The Next Narrative Africa Fund invests in narrative shifting audio-visual projects that grapple with and/or challenge prevailing stereotypes about Africa and people of African descent focused on select social impact storytelling themes. Audio-visual projects include storytelling media such as: feature films, television series, podcasts, interactive content.
Deadline: 1st August 2025 | Grant: From $20,000
Things to note:
To be considered, project must have:
Commercially viable with global appeal and distribution potential
$1-5+ million total budget per project
African and African-diasporan creatives at the helm
50% or more production in Africa, including principal photography
Apprenticeships/internships or other initiatives to build capacity among women/youth
Next Narrative Africa Fund provides:
Grants to audio-visual projects at the concept stage in need of development
Access to our global network of strategic partners
Equity investments into audio-visual projects that are in later stages of development or production
Equity investments into infrastructure that supports Africa’s creative industries
The fund is unlikely to invest in documentaries except where there is a compelling commercial angle.
For more information, click here.
To pitch your idea, fill this form.
9. Omenana Speculative Fiction Magazine: Niger Delta Themed Edition
Omenana Magazine is open for submissions for our special themed edition, focusing on the Nigeria’s Niger Delta. They are looking for original stories in any of science fiction’s many forms — cyberpunk, climate fiction, African futurism, solarpunk, biopunk, eco-scifi, political sci-fi, alternate history, time travel, space exploration, AI and robotics — so long as they meaningfully engage with the region.
Deadline: 20th August 2025 | Pay: $20
Things to note:
Read editorial note here.
Stories must be original, previously unpublished and between 1,500 to 5,000 words.
All work must be submitted by e-mail to editor@omenana.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.
Submissions should follow this Standard Manuscript Format.
Stories should be between 1,500 to 5,000 words.
Please don’t send revised drafts of works that you have previously submitted.
10. Lọúnlọún Call for Historical Fiction
Lọ́unlọ́un is a literary journal focused on historical fiction set during historical events that have shaped and defined places and times in Africa and the experiences of those who lived through the events—or didn’t—no matter how minute. They are looking for speculative or factual tellings of African history centred on themes across Economics, Society & Politics, Gender & Feminism, Hope & Healing, Identity & Belonging, and War, Conflicts, & Disaster.
Deadline: 31st August 2025 | Pay: Unstated amount
Things to note:
They accept only fiction: 2000 – 4000 words. Stories must NOT exceed 4000 words.
Only original pieces will be considered. Previously published pieces and excepts from a larger body of work are not accepted.
Submissions should be in EB Garamond, size 12, 1.5-spaced, and submitted in Word document format with word count included.
Submissions should be in English or translated into English. Writers are, however, allowed creative freedom with the expression of their languages.
Submissions must be based on an event that has happened on or affected the continent, regardless of where characters in the telling are located.
Submissions must contain a brief historical setting description (max. two sentences) formally describing the historical events in telling.
Submissions must have at least two reference links to the historical events in telling.
They accept simultaneous submissions, but let them know promptly if your work is accepted elsewhere.
Ensure your submissions are meticulously reviewed for correct formatting, grammar, and punctuation. Significant mistakes in these areas can hinder the likelihood of your work being considered for publication.
To submit your work, send an email to submissions@lounloun.com with the subject ‘Fiction Submission.’ In the body of the email, include your third-person bio and attach the story. Please ensure the story has references and is in Word document format.
The review process may take 3-8 weeks after the deadline.
11. Call for Anthology Submissions: Mmeory
Air and Nothingness Press is seeking stories for an anthology to be titled Mmeory which will collect stories of memory manipulation. This anthology is to be published in late autumn of 2025.
Deadline: 15th August 2025 | Compensation: up to $160
Guidelines:
Examples on Memory manipulation - include magic spells, cyborg memory edits, very unreliable narrators, time travel gone horribly wrong.
They are open to all genres: Fantasy, Science Fiction, Urban Fantasy, Alternate History, Steampunk, Hopepunk, Solarpunk, and beyond .
All stories requested to be 2000 words or less.
Manuscript Format: Standard manuscript format - .doc or .docx (MS Word), .rtf (Rich Text Format). They would prefer the additional layout specs - Page Size: Letter; Margins: .5”; Font: Calibri 11 point, single spaced - if possible
Please also send a one paragraph biography.
Email your submission to info@aanpress.com
You will receive an email confirming your submission within 24 hours, and an email with by September 15th 2025 with a response.
Prose of the Week
Shelter Skelter | Rigwell Addison Asiedu
The scattered conversations in the compound fizzled into silence when Ebo Pinaman opened the gate. The metal creak prefixed the neighbours’ hush. They averted their eyes when he greeted good morning. The sun in the east was a crawling infant, palm-printing the walls of the horizon with orange and pink hues. Ebo’s tongue wagged dry in his buccal darkness. The veins across his temples pulsed taut. From time to time his neighbours had shot caustic remarks at him, but he was already used to the whispers of “one-hand man” and “man-woman” before he travelled to Kaduna for his shoe-making business.
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
Face to Face | Phillip Matogo
You’ll find me at the other end of your argument
With my two cents as a down payment
On what I owe you by telling you truly
You should not try to tame me
Or free me from being left untamed by me.
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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