Call for Submissions | 2018 Caine Prize for African Writing


The Caine Prize for African Writing is an annual literature prize awarded to an African writer of a short story published in English. The prize was launched since 2000 to motivate as well as highlighting the richness and multiplicity of African writing by bringing it to a larger international audience.

The focus on the short story reflects the contemporary development of the African story-telling tradition.

By definition, “an African writer” is expected to be someone who was born in Africa, or who is a national of an African country, or who has a parent who is African by birth or nationality.
Therefore, the Prize is awarded to a short story written by an African writer published in English, whether living in Africa or elsewhere.

Understanding the Caine the Prize:
The Caine Prize for African Writing as a registered charity, aims is to bring African writing to a larger international audience through their annual literary award. In addition to administering the Prize, they work to connect readers with African writers through a series of public events, as well as helping emerging writers in Africa to enter the world of mainstream publishing through the annual Caine Prize writers’ workshop which takes place in a different African country each year.

The stories written at Caine Prize workshops are published annually alongside the Prize’s shortlisted stories in the annual Caine Prize Anthology by New Internationalist in the UK and publishers in eight African countries including, Jacana Media (South Africa), Cassava Republic (Nigeria), Kwani (Kenya), Sub-Saharan Publishers (Ghana), FEMRITE (Uganda), Gadsen Publishers (Zambia), ‘amaBooks (Zimbabwe) and Langaa (Cameroon).

Benefits from the Prize:
Winning and short-listed authors will be invited to participate in writers’ workshops in Africa, London or somewhere else as resources permit. The winner is also invited to go to three literature festivals in Kenya, South Africa and Nigeria.

Categories of the Prize:

  1. There is a cash prize of £10,000 for the winning author and a travel award for each of the short-listed candidates (up to five in all).
  2. The shortlisted candidates will also receive a Prize of £500 each
Eligibility
  1. Unpublished work is not eligible for the Caine Prize
  2. Submissions should be made by publishers only
  3. Only fictional work is eligible
  4. Only one story per author will be considered in a year
Other Rules:
  1. Submissions should specify which African country the author comes from and the word count
  2. Entrants are required to submit six (6) copies of their work in its originally published version;
  3. If the work is published in a book or journal, they would like to receive at least one copy of the book / journal and five photocopies; but particularly where several stories are submitted from one anthology they would like if possible to receive six copies of the book / journal itself;
  4. If the work is published online, they would like to receive six printed copies.

Important Note:
Stories for children, factual writing, plays, biography, works shorter than 3000 words and unpublished work are not eligible for submission.

Application Letter:
To apply, entrants are to send six original published copies of the work for consideration to the Caine Prize office including a letter from the publisher.

Advice:
Writers who are not sure whether their works are eligible for entry have been advised to email the organizers for advice. Email can be sent to: info@caineprize.com

Deadline:
Submissions close on January 31, 2018


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