We are excited to announce three writing awards for African writers, organised by Writers Space Africa (WSA). These awards offer a fantastic opportunity for writers to showcase their talent and creativity while inspiring and empowering young writers.
The first award is the 2nd 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. Submissions will be accepted from April 1 to July 1, 2023, with one entry per category allowed. The winners of each category will receive a certificate of achievement and a cash prize of $100. There are no specific themes for this award.
The second award is the African Writers Awards, now in its 6th edition. For this edition, we are accepting submissions for poetry only, both structured and unstructured. The theme for this edition is “Artificial Intelligence,” and poems should not exceed 24 lines. Submissions are also open from April 1 to July 1, 2023. The grand prize for this award is $500, an Amazon ebook publishing contract, and a scholarship for a 3-month creative writing course. Second and third-place winners will also receive a scholarship for the same course.
The third award is the Wakini Kuria Prize for Children’s Literature, now in its 5th edition. We are calling for submissions in the Children’s literature genre for children between the ages of 8 and 12. This call is open from April 1st to July 1st, 2023. The winner of this prize will receive a certificate and $200, the second-place winner will receive a certificate and $150, while the third place will receive a certificate and $100. There is no theme for this call. However, stories should not exceed 1,200 words, while poems should not exceed 24 lines.
We encourage all eligible writers to submit their entries by visiting https://www.africanwritersawards.com. The list of judges is also available on the website.
Wishing all the participants the best of luck!
Anthony Onugba,
Chief Judge
African Writers Awards
19 responses to “Announcing the 2023 African Writers Awards”
Is it a direct submission? No format needed like doc, pdf and so?
Submissions are in MS Word format
Good day, the eligible age for the second category is from…?
The African Writers Awards (poetry) is not restricted by age.
Good Morning, is there a specific length of the prose and poem for the first category?
For the Teens Prize, there is no limit.
Greetings.
So for the second edition of the teen writers competition, is there a word limit for the prose or line limit for the poem?
There is no limit. All the best.
Thank you.
You are welcome.
For the second category, how many poems altogether to be submitted?
One poem per entry.
What is the submission portal or email? The instructions from the awards details states we can submit via the website (https://www.africanwritersawards.com/)but on arriving at the website, there is no direct submission portal.
Thanks for reaching out. There are links to 3 awards on the website. If you are submitting to the African Writers Awards (for poetry), please use this link https://www.africanwritersawards.com/african-writers-awards/. All the best.
Is it for African citizens only or does it extend to diaspora outside of Africa?
It is for Africans either on the continent or in the diaspora.
When are the winners announced?
When will the winners be announced.
The shortlist is on the website. The winners will be announced at the conference in Accra.