Opportunity for African Writers | Apply for the Gerald Kraak Award

If you’re a journalist, academic, blogger, poet or photographer and you have work that explores themes gender, sexuality, and human rights, you can apply for the Gerald Kraak Awards.

The winner receives a R25,000 ($1600) cash prize. Participation in the prize comes with a publishing opportunity. Shortlisted authors will have their work collected in an anthology that will be published widely across the continent.

Excellent opportunity!

Deadline is July 31! See below for entry guidelines.

[Please Note: Brittle Paper is not responsible for the organization or further promotion of this prize, neither do we have a stake in its popularity. Address any inquiry to the contact info included in the post.]

A new annual award and anthology on the topics of gender, human rights and sexuality for a range of writing genres and photography.

The Jacana Literary Foundation, in partnership with The Other Foundation, invite writers, journalists, academics, bloggers, poets and photographers to submit for consideration exceptional works – published or unpublished – which explore, interrogate and celebrate the topics of gender, sexuality and human rights.

Rather than general discussions of these subjects, the judging panel seeks 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 2017 award ceremony, hosted by The Other Foundation and attended by the authors of the top three entries. The overall winner will receive a cash prize of R25 000.

Our aim is to ensure that the anthology and information about the award will be disseminated as widely as possible throughout the African continent. To this end, Africa World Press (Ethiopia), Amalion (Senegal), FEMRITE (Uganda), Kwani (Kenya), Weaver Press (Zimbabwe) and Wordweaver (Namibia) will be associated with this project. Other publishing houses based in Africa with an interest in participating are also encouraged to contact us.

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 work 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.

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 submit that single image. It is, however, more likely to be accomplished through a collection of photographs or a photographic essay.

No handwritten or hard copy entries can be considered. You must submit your work via the web link specified below.

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.

Entries 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.

Closing date: 31 July 2016

Shortlist announced: December 2016

Submit to Jacana Media by click HERE.