The Gerald Kraak Anthology and Prize is now accepting submissions for its sixth annual edition, and African writers, poets, visual artists, and photographers are invited to send in their work. A joint initiative of the Jacana Literary Foundation and the Other Foundation, the anthology has since its founding been one of the continent’s most distinctive literary platforms celebrating African voices on gender, human rights, and sexuality with an openness to form and perspective that few other prizes match. This year’s theme is lesbian, bisexual, and queer women, and the organisers are calling for multi-layered, brave, and stirring work that represents a new wave of African storytelling on and from across the spectrum of gender and sexuality. Submissions are open now and will close on 18 August 2026.

The prize was created in honour of Gerald Kraak (1956–2014), a passionate anti-apartheid activist, champion of social justice, and head of the Atlantic Philanthropies’ Reconciliation and Human Rights Programme in South Africa. His legacy was one of building a world that is safe and welcoming to all, and the anthology continues that work by giving African creatives a platform to provoke thought, challenge convention, and tell stories that might not otherwise find a home in purely commercial publishing. Writers and artists of all genders and sexualities from across Africa are encouraged to submit.

The winner will receive R30,000 and the runner-up R15,000, with both works published in the anthology by Jacana Media, Jacana Literary Foundation’s publishing partner. All submissions must be in English and creators must be based in or from Africa. Full submission guidelines, including rules for prose, poetry, visual art, and photography, are available here.

If your work sits at the intersection of identity, justice, and the lived experience of queer African womanhood, or if you know someone whose does, this is the call. The submission window runs from 25 May to 18 August 2026. Head to the entry form, read the guidelines carefully, and send your work in.