The 2018 Gerald Kraak Award is open for submissions. The award aims to honour works that focus on experiences of gender, social justice and sexuality. The award is given in honour of the late activist Gerald Kraak.

Gerald Kraak (1956–2014) was a passionate champion of social justice, an anti-apartheid activist and the head of the Atlantic Philanthropies’ Reconciliation and Human Rights Programme in South Africa. He authored the European Union Literary Award-winning Ice in the Lungs (Jacana, 2005), which explores South African politics, and directed a documentary on gay conscripts in the apartheid army. He is remembered for being kind and generous, delightfully irreverent and deeply committed to realising an equal and just society for all.

Created in honour of his extraordinary legacy, this new annual award is made possible in partnership with The Other Foundation, and will advance Gerald’s contribution to building a society that is safe and welcoming to all. The unique and vital anthology will feature English language writing and photography from and about Africa. Exceptional works which explore, interrogate and celebrate the topics of gender, sexuality and human rights will be longlisted and published in a Granta-like anthologyThe overall winner is awarded a cash prize.

Rather than general discussions of these subjects, the judging panel will select pieces which engage with gender and sexuality in ways that promote new insights into human rights matters on our continent.

Only the very best work submitted will be shortlisted and published in an anthology, with the winners to be announced at a 2018 award ceremony, hosted by The Other Foundation and attended by the authors of the top three submissions. The overall winner will receive a cash prize of R25 000.

The inaugural award went to Ugandan-born Kenyan photographer Sarah Waiswa and Kenyan writer Farah Ahamed. The anthology was launched in May. It is titled Pride and Prejudice: African Perspectives on Gender, Social Justice and Sexuality.

Here are the guidelines for the 2018 prize.

Rules

The subject matter of the work must relate to gender, human rights and/or sexuality in Africa.

Works which fall within one of the following categories are accepted:

         fiction
         non-fiction
         poetry
         photography / photographic essays
         journalism / magazine reporting
         scholarly articles in academic journals and book chapters / extracts
         social media / blog writings and contributions
         Entries must have been created by a citizen of an African country, who lives and works on the continent. Written submissions must be in English.
         Up to three entries are permitted per author, across categories. Each entry must be submitted on a separate electronic entry form.
         Please number your pages, use a font size of 12, Times New Roman and 1.5 spacing (avoid unnecessary formatting, such as borders).
         Materials must not exceed 15 000 words or 10 images.
         We are looking for work which tells a story or illustrates an idea. If one photograph achieves this, then we welcome the submission of that single image. It is, however, more likely to be accomplished through a collection of photographs or a photographic essay.
         We accept unpublished as well as previously published works.
         No handwritten or hard copy entries can be considered. Submissions must be made via the online portal.
         Entries must include a short biography (100 words maximum) and contact details. These should not be included on the work being submitted, as the award is judged blind and the author remains anonymous until the shortlist has been selected.

Submissions are considered to implicitly indicate the entrant’s permission for their work to be published in the anthology, if shortlisted, for no payment or royalty.

Submit to the award HERE.

*

Please Note: Brittle Paper is not responsible for the organization or further promotion of this call for submissions, neither do we have a stake in its popularity. Thank you.