It is with great excitement that we announce three writing awards for African writers, organised by Writers Space Africa (WSA) and sponsored by Nahida Esmail and Anthony ‘PenBoss’ Onugba. These awards provide every writer of African descent with a fantastic opportunity to showcase their talent while inspiring others as well.

The first award is the 3rd edition of the African Teen Writers Awards. This award is open to early teens aged between 13 to 16 years, and we welcome submissions in two categories: poetry and prose. The winners of each category will receive a certificate of achievement and a cash prize of $100. The second award is the 7th edition of the African Writers Awards. For this edition, we are accepting submissions for short stories. The grand prize for this award is $500. Finally, the third award is the 6th Wakini Kuria Prize for Children’s Literature. We are calling for submissions in the children’s literature genre for children between the ages of 6 and 12. The winner of this prize will receive a certificate and $200; the second-place winner will receive a certificate and $150; and the third-place winner will receive a certificate and $100.

Submissions for all three awards commence on March 15th and continue until July 1st, 2024. Please be sure to cross-check the eligibility criteria on the website before submitting. You can do this by visiting https://www.africanwritersawards.com. Wishing all the participants the best of luck!

Click to read the winning entries from 2023