Opportunity for African Writers | Submit Your Work for the 2020 K & L Prize

The 2020 K & L Prize is open for submissions. Currently in its second year, the $1000 NZ prize was founded and sponsored by New Zealand-based Nigerian writer Myles Ojabo. It is awarded to the best piece of unpublished fiction by an African.

The 2019 prize asked for short stories between 1,000 and 2,000 words that were about or inspired by a historical event on the continent. The prize was awarded to South Africa’s Sisca Julius for her story “Honey Bee.”

The deadline for submissions for this year’s prize is December 1, 2019. Here are the guidelines for entry:

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THE K & L PRIZE: AFRICANFUTURISM

The 2020 K and L Prize is now receiving short stories on the theme, Africanfuturism. The term was coined by Nigerian-American author, Nnedi Okorafor.

In the genre of Africanfuturism there are often depictions of aliens, and sometimes witches. The settings are likely in a recognizable future Africa, with African lineages — which “are not cultural hybrids but rooted in the history and traditions of the continent” with no element or traits drawn from Western culture (or even pop culture).”

Who can enter:

1. All entrants should be African
2. All entrants should be resident in Africa
3. All entrants should be between ages 18 and 25

The guidelines are:

1. Stories should not exceed 2000 words
2. File format must be in Microsoft Word
3. Writings should be in English
4. All entries should be emailed to [email protected]
5. Email subject should have the name of short stories, age of applicant and ‘2020 K and L prize’

Judges for the 2020 prize are:

Chigbo Arthur Anyaduba

Anyaduba  is an assistant professor of English at the University of Winnipeg, Canada. His work focuses broadly on contemporary African literatures. His current research examines representations of mass atrocities and genocides in Africa. Anyaduba is a recipient of several prestigious awards, including a Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship for his doctoral dissertation at the University of Manitoba, and a J.B. and Maurice C. Shapiro Fellowship at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum for his research on “African” genocides. He is also a senior editor of Saraba Literary Magazine and his creative writings have appeared on numerous platforms.

Dione Joseph

She is the founder of Black Creatives Aotearoa and co-founder of JK Productions: He Kōrero Ngā Tahi (Telling Our Stories Together). Her commitment to creating, sharing and manifesting opportunities for diverse artists has seen her work as director and dramaturge in theatre for the last decade across New Zealand, Australia and the USA. She has also been active as a writer stage critic, international guest scholar and community advocate. She has a MA in Community and Cultural Development from the Victorian College of the Arts and an BA (Hons) in Theatre Studies from the University of Melbourne.