The Miles Morland Foundation is currently accepting applications for the 2020 Morland African Writing Scholarships.

The awards offer a fiction scholarship of £18,000 to two, three or four writers, paid over the course of twelve months, and a nonfiction scholarship of £27,000 to a single writer, paid over the course of eighteen months to enable them take time off to work on a proposed work.

Entries must be book proposals for only fiction and creative nonfiction which must not be less than 80,000 words when completed.

Scholarship recipients are compulsorily required to submit 10,000 new words every month. Scholars are also required, as a ‘debt of honor rather than a legally binding obligation’ to donate to the foundation 20% of revenues (film rights, serializations etc) gotten from the book written during the duration of their scholarship. The funds will be channeled into supporting other young writers.

Applications open 1 July through 18 September 2020.

The Miles Morland Foundation has also announced that they will be rotating the judging panel for the 2020 scholarship, so previous nominee Otosirieze Obi Young, who joined the judging panel in 2019, will be replaced by Nigerian author and publisher Chuma Nwokolo. Kenyan author Muthoni Garland and Nigerian publisher Bibi Bakare-Yusuf will be returning as judges, with the former retaining her position as chair.

Interested applicants should attach the following in their submissions:

1. A submission of between 2,000 to 5,000 words as a Word document of work that has been published and offered for sale.

2. A description of between 400 – 1,000 words about the new book you intend to write. 

3. A scan of an official document showing that you, or both of your parents, were born in Africa.

4. A brief bio of between 200 – 300 words.

For the full guidelines, go here.

Previous winners of the Miles Morland Scholarships are: Tony Mochama, Doreen Baingana, and Percy Zvomuya in 2013; Yewande Omotoso, Simone Hayson, Ndinda Kioko, and Ahmed Khalifa in 2014; Fatin Abbas, Akwaeke Emezi, and Bolaji Ofin in 2015; Abdul Adan, Lidudumalingani Mqobothi, Ayesha Haruna Attah and Nneoma Ike-Njoku in 2016; and Eloghosa Osunde, Fatima Kola, Elnathan John, Bryony Rheam, and Alemseged Tesfai in 2017. Edwige Dro, Kola Tubosun, Sibabalwe Masinyana and Siphiwe Ndlovu in 2018, and Gloria Mwaniga Odari, Parselelo Kantai, Hawa Jande Golakai and Nnamdi Oguike in 2019.

Since 2017, the Miles Morland Foundation has organised a creative writing workshop facilitated by Giles Foden, author of The Last King of Scotland and professor of creative writing at the University of East Anglia, and Michela Wrong, author of In the Footsteps of Mr Kurtz and It’s Our Turn to Eat. Participants are chosen from among applicants for their scholarships.

Further inquiries regarding submissions should be addressed to [email protected].