Free writing contests are becoming rarer, but quite a few of the African ones don’t require an entry fee. Here is one of them.
Africa Book Club Short Reads Competition is a monthly short contest, which welcomes entries from writers across the continent and the Diaspora. They accept stories from non-African nationals provided the stories are contextually set in Africa and should not have appeared in another print or electronic publication. The competition seeks to promote African literature and increase knowledge of Africa through supporting creative writing.
About the Competition
The Africa Book Club Short Reads Competition features short stories drawn from contributors across the African continent. Unpublished fiction and creative non-fiction submissions, not exceeding 3,000 words, and whose setting and context are primarily set in Africa, or written by African authors.
We welcome entries that celebrate Africa’s diversity and rich story telling traditions – anything from fiction and non-fiction stories that reflect life on the continent to childhood memoirs and travel stories.
Monthly winners will receive a cash prize of $50 and two (2) books of their choice from the Africa Book Club bookstore. Winning stories will feature on the Africa Book Club under a special “Short Reads” section. In addition, the top 30 stories from all submissions received between July 2013 and June 2014, will be considered for our annual short story anthology, to be published in the fall of 2014.
Why Participate
Entering the Africa Book Club Short Reads competition gives you the chance to:
Get Published – Your story will be published on the Africa Book Club site and read by thousands of readers across the world who are interested in African literature.
Get Discovered – Having your story published by Africa Book Club is an opportunity to get your name out and be discovered by potential publishers. It gives you a platform to showcase your talent.
Win Prizes – All winners will receive a cash prize of $50 and two (2) books of their choice from the Africa Book Club bookstore.
Unlike many other contests, we take no entry fees. This is because we want to encourage all eligible writers out there to submit their work for consideration.
Submission Guidelines
1.Submissions will be received throughout the year and can be made at any time through our online submission page – Click Here to Go to the Africa Book Club Short Reads Competition Submission Page.
2.Entries must not exceed 3,000 words (suggested minimum length is 1,000 words).
3.Entries must be written in English.
4.There are no theme or style restrictions. We are interested in works of fiction and creative non-fiction. All genres will be considered. What we are looking for are good stories that our readers will enjoy.
5.Writers can enter as many stories as they like. However, each entry can only have one story.
6.Submitted stories must not have been published previously in any form. If you enter your story in another competition and you win, please notify us and withdraw your submission.
7.Copyright remains with Africa Book Club. Entrants are deemed to grant us first publication rights and exclusive worldwide license over each entry submitted for one year after publication, and for publicity purposes thereafter. Selected pieces may appear in electronic format on the Africa Book Club site, other electronic forms, and in print. Entrants will be notified electronically upon receipt of their submissions.
8.We reserve the right to cancel this competition, and not to publish our annual anthology, where circumstances are beyond our control, of if we determine that the quantity and quality of submissions do meet the required parameters for publication.
9.By submitting an entry, you agree to be bound by the above rules.
