The Nigeria-based Stark Pages Literary Students Initiative, in partnership with Brittle Paper, encourages secondary students to submit their original works for a chance to win prizes and get published in an anthology. The deadline for submission is May 31, 2025. 

Stark Pages Literary Students Initiative is a platform dedicated to nurturing the literary talents of young writers in Nigeria. Stark Pages is a literary non-profit organization that supports independent writers through coaching, mentoring in all literary genres on their journey to be heard through self-publishing.

Students can submit their entries here. See below for the submission guidelines.

Eligibility
  • Open to secondary school students in Nigeria only.
  • Submissions must be original and unpublished
  • Each participant can submit one prose piece and/or one poem per submission cycle.
  • Profane and vulgar works will be disqualified automatically
  • Parental/responsible adult approval is required for submissions under 18
Categories & Word Limits

Prose (Short Stories, Essays, and Creative Nonfiction)

  • Maximum 3,000 words
  • Must be in English (Pidgin is also allowed but should be understandable)

Poetry

  • Maximum 50 lines
  • Any style or theme is allowed
Formatting Guidelines
  • Font: Times New Roman, 12pt
  • Spacing: Double-spaced (for prose), single-spaced (for poetry)
  • File Format: Submit as a Word document (.doc or .docx)
  • Title Page: Include your full name, school, class, and contact details on the first page.
Selection & Recognition
  • Selected works will be featured in Stark Pages LSI and may be published in future anthologies.
  • Outstanding entries stand a chance to win prizes, certificates, mentorship opportunities, and publication features.

For inquiries, contact admin@stark-pages.co.uk.