Deadline: August 31, 2018
Entries are invited for the Short Story Day Africa Prize 2018 for African Writers. In 2018, Short Story Day Africa is seeking innovative short fiction set in the rooms, the passages, the bars and the lobbies of hotels across the continent of Africa, as well as metafiction exploring Africa as a hotel herself. If these walls could talk, what story would they tell?
Short Story Day Africa brings together writers, readers, booksellers, publishers, teachers and school children from all over the globe to write, submit, read, workshop and discuss stories – and foster the love of reading and writing African fiction. Because they have something to tell the world. About Africa. In Africans’ own voices.
Prize
- First prize: $800
- Second prize: $200
- Third prize: $100
Eligibility
- Any African citizen or African person living in the diaspora, as well as persons residing permanently (granted permanent residence or similar) in any African country, may enter;
- Simultaneous submissions are not welcome. Any story entered or published elsewhere during the course of judging or publication will be disqualified;
- Writers may only submit one story for the competition. Repeat entries by the same writer will be disqualified.
- Writers are welcome to submit stories in any fiction genre;
- Stories must be between 3000 and 5000 words in length;
- Stories must be submitted in English. While you are free to incorporate other languages into your story, the story must be able to be understood fully by its English content;
- Stories must be submitted online via Submittable between June 1, 2018 – August 31, 2018;
- To facilitate easy reading and judging, please format your stories according to the format stipulated below. Stories not formatted in this way are at the risk of being disqualified;
- Stories must not have been previously published in any form or any format;
- You are welcome to enter under a pseudonym or nom de plume, as long as you also include your real name along with your entry;
- All entries will be judged anonymously. Please do not put your name or any other identifying details anywhere on your manuscript;
- By submitting a story the author attests that it is their own original work and grants exclusive global print and digital rights to Short Story Day Africa for one year, and thereafter agrees to seek permission to republish and when published elsewhere attributes first publication to Short Story Day Africa; non-exclusive digital rights to Worldreader to publish individual stories on Worldreader Mobile; and non-exclusive digital rights to Johannesburg Review of Books for publicity purposes;
- By entering, the author agrees to allowing Short Short Story Day Africa to include their entry in an anthology should it be selected by the judges; and to working with editors to get their story publication ready.
- Your personal information will not be shared with anyone. However, they will add you to Short Story Day Africa mailing list for the sole purpose of informing you of next year’s event, or of other Short Story Day Africa events that may be of interest to you.
Required Manuscript Format
- Type your document, using a single, clear font, 12-point size, double-spaced. The easiest font to use is Times New Roman, or a similar serif font.
- Put the title of your story at the top of the first page. Please give your story an original title. Please DO NOT title your story Hotel Africa, SSDA Story or any similar version of such. Start your story immediately below the title.
- Put an accurate word count at the top right.
- Please number the pages.
- Left-justify your paragraphs.
- Ensure there is at least a 1 inch or 2 centimetre margin all the way around your text.
- Indent each new paragraph by about 1/2 inch or 1 centimetre, except for the first line of the story or the first line of a new scene. Please use the indent function of your programme, not multiple spaces or tabs.
- Don’t insert extra lines between your paragraphs. A blank line indicates a new scene.
- Put the word “End” after the end of your text, centred, on its own line.
Application
For more information, visit Short Story Day Africa Prize.
