Book Dash, the initiative that gathers volunteer writers, illustrators, designers, and editors to create free African children’s storybooks in single-day sprints, is marking a milestone. The organization’s 25th event will take place in Johannesburg on Saturday, September 19, 2026, and applications are now open for creatives who want to take part.

The format that has defined Book Dash since its founding remains: teams of four volunteers — a writer, an illustrator, a designer, and an editor — spend twelve hours together producing a complete, original children’s book from scratch. Facilitators are on hand throughout the day to keep teams on track and help them cross the finish line with a finished story by day’s end. Every book that comes out of a Book Dash event is released for free, open access, meaning anyone, anywhere can read, print, translate, and distribute the stories without cost or restriction.

That model has already reached a significant scale. Book Dash has printed and distributed more than six million storybooks to date, work the organization frames as part of a broader push to ensure children own a hundred books by the age of five, giving them an early foundation for literacy and a love of reading.

This edition carries a regional focus. In partnership with event sponsor the Kgolo Community Development Trust, Book Dash is actively encouraging creatives from the John Taolo Gaetsewe District and the wider Northern Cape to apply, with travel and accommodation for successful applicants from the region fully covered by the sponsor.

Writers, illustrators, and designers interested in lending their skills to the cause can apply through Book Dash’s website, where more details on the September 19 Johannesburg event are available.