The Nyabola Prize for Science Fiction is an initiative of the Mabati-Cornell Kiswahili Prize. It is a special award open to young people aged between 18 and 35, writing science and speculative fiction in Swahili.

The prize is named after, and held in partnership with, writer and political analyst, Nanjala Nyabola. It is “designed to promote and popularise a Kiswahili vocabulary for technology and digital rights, in order to empower citizens in Kiswahili-speaking communities to participate in broader conversations on the issues.”

It awards a cash prize of $1,000 to a first place winner, and $500 and $250 to a second and third place winner respectively. The top ten stories will be published in an anthology.

In a press release, the prize administrators expound that the objective of the prize was to “inspire boundary breaking creativity in the next generation of fiction writers in Kiswahili, while popularising a lexicon for technology and digital rights in the language.”

The deadline for entry is May 31st.

The prize organisers will equally be hosting 3 workshops on writing speculative fiction and about technology in Kiswahili for participants in March, April and May 2021. While not mandatory, the (virtual) workshop promises to “offer tips and give tools to boost the confidence of those who may be interested in writing for the Prize.”

Go here for details.