Deadline: October 1, 2016
The Glenna Luschei Prize for African Poetry is awarded annually to a book published in the previous calendar year by an African poet. This Pan African Poetry Prize, established to promote African poetry written in English or in translation and to recognize a significant book published each year by an African poet, is the only one of its kind in the world. Each year, a significant African writer judges the contest. Open annually from May to October to submissions from authors and publishers, a winner will be announced in early December.
Prizes
- Winning author receives an award of USD $5,000.
Eligibility
- Open to any book of original poetry, in English, published during the previous calendar year in a standard edition of a full-length collection of poetry written by any African writer. Books must be submitted in the year after their publication, which means that books published in 2015 may be submitted for consideration between May 1 and October 1, 2016;
- 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;
- A standard edition is 48 pages or more in length;
- Only poetry submissions in English can be considered, but they welcome published works of translation for consideration;
- Self-published books are ineligible;
- Books published by the APBF and its African Poetry Series are ineligible.
Application Process
No entry fee is required to submit to this contest, but an entry form is required for each title submitted.
- Download the Entry Form;
- Publishers may submit as many eligible titles as they wish. The publisher should send four copies of each book to the APBF, postmarked between May 1 and October 1, 2016;
- Uncorrected galleys (including PDF galleys) of books will be considered as long as the publication date falls within the period of eligibility;
- Please send four copies of each entry to the following address, postmarked between May 1 and October 1, 2016:
The Glenna Luschei Poetry Prize
The African Poetry Book Fund
Prairie Schooner
110 Andrews Hall
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Lincoln, NE 68588-0334
Books will not be returned but may be donated to the African Poetry Libraries Initiative. Please send any questions to [email protected].
For more information, visit Glenna Luschei Prize for African Poetry.
