creative writing competitions south africa 2022

KBF Young Writers’ Competition 2022

by The Book Tree | Apr 14, 2022 | Blog , Giveaways , Uncategorized

Calling all young writers!

Kingsmead Book Fair launches Young Writers’ Competition – open to all school children in South Africa

Writing competitions are one of the best ways to get discovered as a young writer. Kingsmead College, a leading girls’ school in Johannesburg, is proud to launch the inaugural KBF Young Writers’ Competition. Celebrating the talents of young writers across our country, the competition is open to school children aged 6 – 18. We hope to get entries from a diverse range of schools and children.

Get creative and have fun

We have some tips to get you started here. This is an opportunity to play with words and tell us the stories you have in your mind. Corinne Rosmarin, editor of The Book Tree and curator of the Children and Teen’s programme at the Kingsmead Book Fair, is thrilled to be launching the Young Writers’ competition. “I’ve had the idea to run a nationwide young writers competition for a few years and I think the timing is perfect now. During lockdown, when we were all confined to our houses, our imaginations had to soar and find new ways to be expressed. We learnt to be more creative with what we had. All you need to write a story is a bit of imagination and basic plot structuring. There are literally no limits to what you can create. Have fun with it!”

Low literacy levels in South Africa

At a time when South Africa’s youth are in a reading crisis, this national writing competition is aimed at motivating and inspiring young people to become readers and writers. According to the 2016 Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS), eight out of 10 Grade 4 learners cannot read for meaning across all languages in South Africa.

The Covid pandemic has worsened the situation and closures of Early Childhood Development (ECD) centres across South Africa – some temporary and some permanent – will take a toll on learner literacy. Crucial to improving literacy levels is encouraging a love of reading and writing for enjoyment as well as meaning. Initiatives that focus on literacy will play an increasingly important role in this pursuit.

“Story telling is an ancient art, intrinsic to most cultures. By encouraging creative writing, children are given tools to make sense of life and process their experiences.” Corinne Rosmarin, curator of the Kingsmead Book Fair Children’s and Teen Programmes.

Kingsmead Book Fair 2022 will be in person

Kingsmead College will be hosting its tenth annual Book Fair in association with Standard Bank Wealth and Investment and Timberland on Saturday 21 May, 2022. Over the years, the Kingsmead Book Fair has become a favourite event with authors and book lovers alike. The children’s and young adult’s programme has grown each year, enjoying great popularity and excitement. The Young Writers’ Competition is a natural extension of the book fair’s aims to promote literacy and encourage a love of learning; connecting all age groups and cultures in the community.

“We are so excited about the new addition to our literary programme. The future of writing and literature is so important, and we welcome all opportunities for the youth to show their talents. We can’t wait to see the submissions from budding authors all across the country!” Alex Bouche, Director of Marketing at Kingsmead College.

Get started

Check out the entry form here and read up on which topics are for your age group.

We are looking for imagination, creativity and originality, structure: beginning, middle and end, and – don’t forget to stick to the word count! Here are some more tips and some inspiration to help you with your writing.

Judges of the competition include authors and publishers such as Jacana, Jonathan Ball, Penguin, Macmillan and Imagnary House and as well as Exclusive Books GM of Marketing, Batya Bricker.

We saved the best for last. Each winning entry in the five age group categories (6-7, 8-9, 10-12, 13-15, and 16-18) wins prizes sponsored by Standard Bank, Exclusive Books, Pan Macmillan, Penguin, Jonathan Ball and NB publishers.

R1000 cash, R1000 in Exclusive book vouchers, plus book hampers and a personal response with tips and advice on your writing. Most importantly – you’ll be published on the Kingsmead website so everyone can read your story!

Sounds good? Get writing!

The KBF Young Writers’ Competition closes at midnight on 16 May 2022. Entries can be found on the Kingsmead Book Fair website at https://kingsmead.co.za/bookfair/

You can send in up to three entries in your age category.

Home schoolers – just write Home School in the school category.

Parents: No help beyond typing up younger children’s entries. We’re not looking for a perfect story, we’re looking for a creative spark.

Queries can be sent to [email protected]

Read these two blogs for tips and inspiration.

Kingsmead Book Fair 2022 Kingsmead Book Fair Young Writers Competition Entry Form

creative writing competitions south africa 2022

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Call for Submissions: 2023 UJ Prize for South African Writing

by Chukwuebuka Ibeh

November 22, 2022

Submissions are currently open for The University of Johannesburg (UJ) Prize for South African Writing.

The prize, which was established in 2006, is awarded to South African writers regardless of whether they have connection with the university or not. Previous winners include Mandla Langa, Jacob Dlamini, Rešoketšwe Manenzhe, Gabeba Baderoon, and Zakes Mda, among others.

The UJ Prize is open to books published in English language in any genre. It is awarded in two categories: the Main Prize and the Debut Prize, with a cash renumeration of R75 000 and R35 000 respectively.

Note: Publishers must specify which prize they are entering for.

Deadline: January 31, 2023.

Only books published in 2022 (January 1 to December 31, 2022) may be entered. The shortlist will be announced no later than August 31, 2023.

How to Submit:

Publishers are required to submit seven (7) copies of each title that they want to enter for the award. Publishers who wish to submit entries for the UJ prize for works published in 2022 should send all submissions to the address below by courier:

Ms Dikeledi Seranyane, University of Johannesburg, English Department, B-Ring 713, Kingsway Road, Auckland Park, Johannesburg, Tel. 011-5592063

For media enquiries and more information, please contact the UJ Prize coordinator, Dr Siphiwo Mahala via email .

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playwright competition South Africa applications

Call for applications: Enter the 2022 Distell National Playwright Competition

The organisers of the Distell National Playwright competition are once again calling for entries by South African scriptwriters of 18 and older. They are accepting entries of previously unpublished or commercially unproduced work in any of the country’s official languages from now until 28 February 2022 .

The announcement comes after the earlier postponement of the competition, brought on by the pandemic, which would have made it impossible to rehearse or stage the winning script. Now that COVID-19 constraints have been eased, the project is back on stream, according to Distell’s corporate affairs director André Opperman.

Founded by Distell in 2018, and managed by the National Arts Festival , the award honours the legacy of Adam and Rosalie Small, ‘not only for their contribution to South African literature, philosophy and education, but also for their unwavering advocacy against social injustice,’ says Opperman.

‘The judges are looking to recognise and reward local talent and at the same time promote diversity and inclusivity. We are encouraging scriptwriters to submit their concepts, narrative outlines, and examples of their writing for appraisal,’ he adds. ‘The point is to discover new talent , to reach writers who have not yet seen their works published or produced, to hear their voices and to bring the vision of the winning playwright to the stage .’

‘ South Africa is rich in story-telling talent , in writers whose work is ideal for theatrical adaptation in ways that can bring novel and compelling insights to audiences. Contestants can choose the issues they want to explore in their submissions, from the everyday to the exceptional, the joyful to the heart-rending, the provocative to the evocative. We just want to give that talent a chance.’ Monica Newton , CEO of the National Arts Festival (NAF)

Competition details

Newton explains that a panel will choose five finalists, all of whom would receive a cash prize of R5 000 and the opportunity to develop their script for final adjudication, working closely with an established industry mentor. The 2022 finalists will be announced next April.

In September 2022, one of the five finalists will be identified as the winner and will receive a further R10 000 . The winner will then finesse their work and prepare it for staging. The work is scheduled to go into pre-production in October.

The 2020 winner, Amy Louise Wilson , was mentored by Mike van Graan. Wilson’s winning work will debut at the 2023 National Arts Festival in Makhanda in July. Thereafter, it will be available to theatres across the country to stage for their own audiences.

‘Having brought the work to fruition and onto stage at the NAF means that the Distell National Playwright’s work is seen by decision makers in the theatrical world. The Festival is an important forum for producers seeking to support and give expression to contemporary South African playwrights.’ Monica Newton , CEO of the NAF

As part of the prize, the winning script is awarded a production budget to allow for its premiere on the main programme of the National Arts Festival.

For competition rules and regulations, and the entry form, head over here . General information about the competition can be found here . Competition queries can be directed to: [email protected]

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THE 2024 SOUTH AFRICAN LITERARY AWARDS (SALA)

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS NOW OPEN

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The 19th South African Literary Awards (SALA) proudly announce the Call for Submissions in the following categories:

Children’s Literature Award 2024 | Creative Non-fiction Literary Award 2024 First-time Published Author Award 2024 | k. Sello Duiker Memorial Literary Award 2024 Literary Journalism Award 2024 | Literary Translators Award 2024 Local Poet Laureate Prize 2024 | Nadine Gordimer Short Story Award 2024 Novel Lit Award 2024 | Poetry Award 2024 Regional Poet Laureate Prize 2024 | Youth Literature Award 2024

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Young Writers’ Competition

Launched in 2022, the Young Writers’ competition is aimed at building a new generation of young writers in South Africa.

This is more important than ever, with recent reports showing that South Africa’s youth are in a dire literacy crisis. The pandemic erased a decade of literacy work.

According to the Background Report for the 2030 Reading Panel, released in 2023, only 18% of South Africa’s Grade 4s can read for meaning. Less than 50% of children in no-fee paying schools know the alphabet by Grade 2. Despite this ongoing literary crisis, there is no national reading plan and no progress on implementing vital interventions.

In addition to tackling the literacy crisis from the early childhood development stage, it is crucial to encourage a love of reading and writing for enjoyment as well as meaning. Initiatives that focus on literacy will play an increasingly important role in this goal.

The competition calls for aspiring young writers to submit their original short stories based on a specific theme each year.

Writing Tips

– courtesy of author Jarred Thompson

Some questions to ask before starting your story

What is it about your story idea that interests you? In other words, what do you want to find out/explore/understand/ depict?
What point of view (POV) will allow you to tell the story you want to tell? Different POVs allow you to do different things. In first person, the narrator uses the pronoun ‘I’ throughout the writing. In second person, the narrator uses the pronoun ‘you.’ In third person, the narrator uses the pronouns ‘she/he/they/it.’ Each offers a particular viewpoint of the action.
Where in the story do you need to start to get to the points of tension you want and what are the ways those tensions resolve, or don’t resolve?
How much of your characters’ lives are backstory to be alluded to in the writing and how much is part of the central action of the story?

What does a good opening need?

Reflection/Observation
Scene setting
What combination of these is most impactful depending on the story you want to tell? This also depends on where you choose to start your story.
In the short-story form, everything must be economical.

Things to consider

Never give a generic description. When we enter a new space, show it to us—but through a particular lens: your character’s [or narrator’s] points of view, modified by their mood.
A good piece of fiction teaches the reader how to read the narrative from the first paragraph.

Characterisation

Characters can be built through asking yourself questions that you brainstorm the answers to.
Take some time to think about your main characters. Where do they start in the story and where would you like them to end up?
What kinds of events will impact your characters and make them change (plot).
Take some time to consider what books are in their TBR pile? What music do they listen to? What movies do they want to see this weekend?
What are their habits and their ways of speaking?
How do they see the world and their place in it?
Remember, this is background research. Most of this probably won’t go into the final draft of the story.
If you come to a pre-planned plot point that doesn’t feel right for your character, then you need to change your plot point.
The story is the big picture.
The plot is how you get from one side of the story to the other.
Plot involves cause and effect.
Most importantly, the events of your story must be driven by characters in your story world. They must come from the internal/external actions and decisions of the characters in the world and not feel as if you’re forcing the characters into predetermined plots.

Things to steer away from

Cliché and Tropes – common or overused themes or figures of speech.
Unrealistic Dialogue
Openings not starting close enough to the inciting incident.
Characters that act wildly unexpectedly to how they’ve been acting up to a certain point without adequate clues, foreshadowing, build-up or later explanation.
Endings that resolve things too fast.
Endings that fall flat with no sense of insight gained.

Short stories as a start

Every artist needs a portfolio of work.
Research local literary journals (New Contrast, Imbiza, New Coin, Lolwe, Doek! Ons Kleinjie, Sol Plaatje Poetry Anthology, Isele Magazine, Kalahari Review) and find out when their submission window is.
Read the stories in those journals you want to get published in. What are those stories doing that you are not? How can you incorporate those techniques in your own writing?
Submit to local literary journals or the many international journals that cater to your demographic or style. Try Freedom with Writing or Authors Publish Magazine .
Find a community of writers to share your work with.
Look for opportunities to become a reader or volunteer at a literary journal.
Apply to competitions, workshops, mentorships, scholarships etc. Every little bit counts.
Learn from creative failure and commit to a beginner’s mindset.

Scan the QR Code and download the MyEventZone app using the code: KBF2023

Alex Bouche [email protected] 011 731 7356

Follow #KBF23

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Johannesburg Institute for Advanced Study (JIAS) Writing Fellowships for emerging African creative writers (Funded)

Application Deadline: February 1st, 2023

The Johannesburg Institute for Advanced Study (JIAS) invites applications from emerging African creative writers for its Second Annual Writers’ Workshop.

From 1 August to 31 October 2023, JIAS will host a group of promising African creative writers. The workshop will be a writing-intensive, three-month program for early career writers who have a current work in progress that they would like to complete or polish. Each writer will focus on her/his/their individual work as well as read others’ work and provide feedback. Writers will greatly benefit from the supportive structure that a writers’ workshop create.

Requirements

The JIAS Writers’ Workshop is open to African writers who work in Fiction (long and short form), Creative Non-Fiction, Playwriting, Screenwriting, and Poetry. Workshop participants will be mentored by accomplished, critically-acclaimed, and award-winning writers.
This is a great opportunity for novice writers to learn from established writers who are masters of their craft. Participants in the workshop will also be able to take advantage of and benefit from the vitality and diversity that a dynamic city like Johannesburg has to offer.
There is no application fee and participation in the workshop is free
Each Writers’ Workshop Participant will receive:
Accommodation at JIAS private residence.
Daily breakfast, lunch and stipend.
An intensive and immersive creative experience.
Mentorship from established and highly accomplished writers.
How to Apply:
To apply please submit the following required materials:
A completed application form
A copy of your passport ID page
A creative writing CV
A one-page creative writing project proposal
A writing sample: Playwrighting and Screenwriting (First 10 Pages of Script); Fiction and Creative Non-Fiction (5-10 pages); Poetry (3-5 Poems)

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the JIAS Writing Fellowships

Connecting Africans to the latest life changing Opportunities around the Globe. [email protected] | [email protected]

The Association of Commonwealth University (ACU) Summer School 2023 for University Students from the Commonwealth (Fully Funded to South Africa)

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Writing Competition for DUT Full-Time Undergraduates

May 21, 2018

In line with promoting both academic and creative writing among students, DUT Writing Centres will be running a writing competition. The competition is a student development initiative and all DUT full-time undergraduates with a passion for writing are eligible. This year’s competition is in honour of Zanemvula Kizito Gatyeni Mda, popularly known as Zakes Mda, who is a South African novelist, poet, playwright and academic. The competition will be divided into three genres, namely short stories, poetry and essays (opinion pieces). The broad theme for the competition is African Heritage and the sub-themes are as follows: • Africa • Society • Culture • Language • Love • Peace • Unity • Democracy • Education • Human rights • Social justice

All students need to do in the first round of the competition is to submit, using their DUT4life e-mail account, a short story or children’s story in English or an essay/opinion piece of not more than 500 words or a short poem not longer than one page (1.5 spacing, 12pt, Times New Roman) to Ms Shahieda Kraft at [email protected] not later than the 4th June 2018. The students’ sample writing should be accompanied by an application form collectable from any of the Writing Centres. It should be guided by one or more of the above sub-themes.

To increase a students’ chance of progressing to the next round, they are encouraged to consult with Writing Centre tutors. Furthermore, a free of charge workshop will be facilitated by renowned and experienced creative writers on a date and time to be advised shortly. The aim of the mentorship workshop is to give the competition participants an opportunity to hone their creative writing skills through working closely with seasoned writers. There are exciting prizes to be won such as a brand-new laptop, to name but a few.

To learn more about this year’s writing competition, call (031) 3736735 or e-mail Ms Shahieda Kraft on [email protected].

Pictured: Zakes Mda, South African novelist, poet, playwright and academic. Photo sourced from: (SA Booksellers).

Shahieda Kraft

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42 Writing Contests in November 2022 — No entry fees

Erica Verrillo

Curiosity Never Killed the Writer

T his November there are more than three dozen free writing contests for short fiction, novels, poetry, CNF, nonfiction, and plays. Prizes range from $50,000 to publication. None charge entry fees.

Some of these contests have age and geographical restrictions, so read the instructions carefully.

If you want to get a jump on next month’s contests go to Free Contests . Most of these contests are offered annually, so even if the deadline is past, you can prepare for next year.

_________________

Gotham Book Prize . Genre : Book. “The Gotham Book Prize is awarded once a year to the best book (works of fiction and nonfiction are eligible) published that calendar year that either is about New York City or takes place in New York City.” Prize : $50,000. Deadline : November 1, 2022.

Quarterly West . Genre : Poetry. Prize : $500. Deadline : November 1, 2022.

Brave New Weird Awards . Genre : Weird horror. “We define New Weird Horror as a Horror subgenre focused on progress, creatively capturing themes and questions that bleed into fiction straight from the modern reader’s life and future.” (If you understand that definition, feel free to submit.) Prize : $25. Deadline : November 1, 2022. Previously published work only .

Evaristo Prize for African Poetry . Restrictions : The Prize is open to poets who were born in Africa, or who are nationals of an African country, or whose parents are African. It is for ten poems exactly in order to encourage serious poets. These poems may, however, have already been published. Only poets who have not yet had a full-length poetry book published are eligible. Poets who have self-published poetry books or had chapbooks and pamphlets published are allowed to submit for this prize. Genre : Poetry. Prize : $1500. Deadline : November 1, 2022.

Defenestration Flash Suite Contest . Genre : Flash suite. “A series of at least three flash fiction works that correlate, and build to something greater. Recurring characters, extended motifs, harmonious subject matters, and/or sustained narrative are such correlations– but we encourage innovation and new ideas.” Prize : $75. Deadline : November 1, 2022.

ILA Children’s and Young Adults’ Book Award . Genre : Fiction and nonfiction English-language books for children in grades pre-K to 12 and published for the first time during the year preceding the deadline year. Must be the author’s first or second book. Prize : $800. Deadline : November 1, 2022.

The PEN/Robert J. Dau Short Story Prize for Emerging Writers . Restrictions : PEN America will only accept submissions from editors of eligible publications. Authors may not submit their own short story for this award. Genre : First published short story. Prize : $2000 and publication in The PEN America Best Debut Short Stories. Deadline : November 1, 2022.

Daily Mail First Novel Competition (UK) . Restrictions : Open to any UK author aged 18 or older. Genre : First novels for adults of manuscript length (submit 3000-word sample and synopsis). All genres except science fiction, fantasy, and sagas are accepted. Book cannot have been self-published or previously published. Prize : £20,000 and publication by Little, Brown. Deadline : November 1, 2022.

Commonwealth Short Story Prize . Restrictions : Open to citizens of the British Commonwealth. Genre : Unpublished short fiction (2,000–5,000 words) in English. Short stories translated into English from other languages are also eligible. Prize : Regional winners receive £2,500 (US$3,835) and the overall winner will receive £5,000 (US$7,670). Deadline : November 1, 2022.

Bennington Young Writers Awards . Restrictions : Open to students in the 9th-12th grades. Genre : Poetry, fiction, nonfiction. Prize : First-place winners in each category are awarded a prize of $1,000; second-place winners receive $500; third-place winners receive $250. Deadline : November 1, 2022.

William F. Deeck-Malice Domestic Grants Program for Unpublished Writers . Restrictions : Writers must not have published a book, short story, or dramatic work in the mystery field, either in print, electronic, or audio form. Genre : Mystery stories of the Agatha Christie type — i.e., “traditional mysteries.” These works usually feature no excessive gore, gratuitous violence, or explicit sex. Prize : Each grant may be used to offset registration, travel, or other expenses related to attendance at a writers’ conference or workshop within a year of the date of the award. In the case of nonfiction, the grant may be used to offset research expenses. Each grant currently includes a $1,500 award plus a comprehensive registration for the following year’s convention and two nights’ lodging at the convention hotel, but does not include travel to the convention or meals. Deadline : November 1, 2022.

Weird Christmas Flash Contest . Genre : Weird flash fiction. 350 words max. Prize : $50 first prize, $25 second prize. Deadline : November 2, 2022.

Dylan Thomas Prize . Restrictions : Authors must be aged 39 or under. Eligible books must have been commercially published for the first time in the English language between January 1 and December 31 of the year in which the deadline falls. Genre : Published books of poetry, fiction (novel, novella, or short story collection), radio scripts, or screenplays. Prize : 30,000 pounds, plus 1,000 pounds for shortlisted authors. Deadline : November 4, 2022.

Bronx Council on the Arts Community Engagement Grants . Restrictions : Open to residents of Bronx County. Genre : All art forms, including writing. Grant: $1000 — $5000. Deadline : November 14, 2022.

Commonwealth Club of California Book Awards . Restrictions : Open to residents of California. Genre : Book of poetry, fiction or nonfiction. Prize : Gold medal. Deadline : November 15, 2022.

Brooklyn Non-Fiction Prize is sponsored by the Brooklyn Film & Arts Festival. Genre : Non-fiction essay between 4 to 10 pages, set in Brooklyn about Brooklyn and/or Brooklyn people/characters. (Up to 2500 words). Prize : $500. Deadline : November 15, 2022.

Treehouse Climate Action Poem Prize . Restrictions : Open to US poets for previously unpublished poems of any length that “help make real for readers the gravity of the vulnerable state of our environment at present.” Genre : Poetry. Prize : Up to $1,000. Deadline : November 15, 2022.

Perugia Press Prize . Restrictions : Poets must be women with more than one previously published full-length book. Genre: Poetry. Prize : Book publication and $1,000. Deadline : November 15, 2022. No fee for poets who are Black, Indigenous, and women of color.

Carol Shields Prize for Fiction . Restrictions : Books must be first edition English-language books written by a Canadian or American citizen or permanent resident of either country. Works written by women or non-binary authors are eligible for submission. The Prize welcomes and encourages submissions by transgender woman authors. Genre: Published novel, short story collection or graphic novel. Prize : $150,000 Canadian dollars. Deadline : Entries for books published between September 1, 2022 — December 31, 2022, must be received on or before November 18, 2022.

Green Bean Books and Jewish Book Week Awards . Restrictions : Open to children’s authors and illustrators living in Europe, the UK and Israel. Genre : Stories for young children based on Jewish history, values and traditions. Prize : One author and one illustrator will each receive a £1000 prize and the work will be considered for publication by specialist Jewish children’s book publisher Green Bean Books. Deadline : November 18, 2022.

Arts & Letters Awards . Restrictions : Open to residents of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Genres : poetry, short fiction, nonfiction, dramatic script, art, music, and French language. Entries must be unpublished and completed during the previous 12 months. Prizes : C$1,000 and C$250. Deadline : November 18, 2022.

Anita McAndrews Poetry Award . Genre : Poetry on theme of human rights. Familiarity with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is recommended. Prize : First prize $200, Second prize $50. Deadline : November 20, 2022.

Polar Expressions Publications Poetry Competition . Restrictions : Open to Canadian students in kindergarten through grade twelve. Genre : Poetry. Prize : $300, $200, $100. Deadline : November 21, 2022.

Solarpunk Microfiction Contest . Genre ; Microfiction, 250 words max. Prize : $25 and publication on the Solarpunk Magazine website. Deadline : November 24, 2022. See theme . Opens November 18 .

New Media Writing Prize . Genre : Fiction or non-fiction written specifically for delivery and reading/viewing on a PC or Mac, the web, or a hand-held device such as an iPad or mobile phone. It could be a short story, novel, poem, narrative game, documentary, or transmedia work using words, images, film or animation with audience interaction. Interactivity is a key element of new-media storytelling. Prize : £1000. Deadline : November 25, 2022.

One Teen Story . Restrictions : Open to writers age 13 -19. Genre : Short story between 2,000 to 4,500 words. Prize : $500 upon publication and 25 copies of the magazine. Deadline : November 27, 2022.

Leonard L. Milberg ’53 High School Poetry Prize . Restrictions : Student writers in the 11th grade. Prizes : First Prize — $500, Second Prize — $250, Third Prize — $100. Deadline : November 27, 2022.

Polar Expressions Publications Competition . Restrictions : Open to Canadian students in kindergarten through grade twelve. Genre : Short Story. Prize : $300, $200, $100. Deadline : November 28, 2022

Six Word Wonder . Genre : Story, memoir, poem, or joke, told in only six words. Prize : $100. Deadline : November 30, 2022.

Love Letters to London Writing Competition . Genre : Poetry and open “We want Londoners — as well as non-Londoners who wish to celebrate this place — to tell us why they love the city. Write us up to 500 words around the theme of “making connections” Prize : £150 — £500. Deadline : November 30, 2022. Open to all ages . Some reprints accepted .

Servicescape . Genre : Short story or nonfiction up to 5,000 words. Prize : $1,000. Deadline : November 30, 2022.

Paul Torday Memorial Prize . Restrictions : Authors must be over 60. Genre : First published novel. The novel must have been first published in the UK and Republic of Ireland between 1 September 2019 and 31 August 2020. Prize : £1,000. Deadline : November 30, 2022.

Betty Trask Prize . Restrictions : Author must be a Commonwealth citizen. Genre : First novels, published or unpublished, written by authors under the age of 35 in a “traditional or romantic, but not experimental, style.” Prize : Awards totaling 20,000 pounds. Top prize 10,000 pounds. The prize money must be used for foreign travel. Deadline : November 30, 2022.

Patricia Grodd Poetry Prize for Young Writers . Restrictions : Open to writers aged 16–18. Genre : Poem. Prize : Full scholarship to The Kenyon Review Young Writers workshop, an intensive two-week summer seminar for writers aged 16–18. Deadline : November 30, 2022.

Somerset Maugham Awards . Restrictions : Open to UK writers under the age of 35. Genre : Published work of fiction, non-fiction or poetry. Prize : 2,500 pounds apiece to four winners. Prize money must be used for travel. Deadline : November 30, 2022.

UNT Rilke Prize . Restrictions : US citizens or residents. Open to authors with at least two prior published books of poetry. Genre : Book of poetry published between November 2021 and October 2022. Prize : $10,000. Deadline : November 30, 2022.

AVBOB Poetry Competition . Restrictions : Open to any citizen of South Africa. Genre : Poetry. Prize : R10,000. Deadline : November 30, 2022.

J. F. Powers Prize for Short Fiction . Genre : Short fiction. Prize : $500. Deadline : November 30, 2022.

Substack runs a monthly short story competition. Their mission is to “revive the art of the short story, support artists, and produce something wonderful.” Genre : Short story. Length: 6000- 10,000 words. Prize : $100 plus 50% of subscription revenue to be sent by Paypal, Zelle, or check. Deadline : November 30, 2022. Reprints are ok so long as you still have the rights to distribute.

Better Than Starbucks . Genre : Metrical poetry. Your sonnet can be shakespearean, petrarchan, spenserian, rhymed, or slant-rhymed. Blank verse is fine, as long as the sonnet form is clearly identifiable. They’ll consider tetrameter, hexameter, etc. as well as pentameter. Prize : $100. Deadline : November 30, 2022. Previously published work accepted .

Olde Wolf Short Story Contest . Genre : Short story. Length: 3,000 words max. Prize : $100. Deadline : November 30, 2022. This is a monthly contest .

The Lancaster Playwriting Prize . Restrictions : Anyone from the North of England who identifies as disabled can apply for the competition. There is no age limit. Genre : Script (for a play). Scripts must be a minimum of 30 minutes long. Prize : £1500. Deadline : November 30, 2022.

Like this article? For more articles about the publishing world, useful tips on how to get an agent, agents who are looking for clients, how to market and promote your work, building your online platform, how to get reviews, self-publishing, as well as publishers accepting manuscripts directly from writers (no agent required) visit Publishing and Other Forms of Insanity .

Written by Erica Verrillo

Helping writers get published and bolstering their flagging spirits at http://publishedtodeath.blogspot.com/

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2023 Idembeka Creative Writing Workshop Fellows

Annually, The Idembeka Creative Writing Workshop holds and has nurtured various writers across Africa. Writers often seeks an opportunity to grow themselves and build their creative writing skill. This workshop has been a medium for many writers. In October 2022, Idembeka Creative Writing Workshop called for entrants within Africa. After critical assessment of applications, the organizers of the workshop is pleased to announce its first fellows.

Idembeka Creative Writing Workshop Fellows 2023

The se ten writers will attend a five-day virtual workshop , from the 9 th to 13 th of January 2023, taught by Frances Ogamba , Okey Ndibe , Ukamaka Olisakwe , T.L. Huchu , Mubanga Kalimamukwento , and Kasimma .

Works from the workshop will be considered for publication on Isele Magazine.

Due to their sponsors, the organizers of Idembeka workshop can offer e ach fellow a modest stipend.

Ebubechukwu Udeoba (Nigeria)

Ebubechukwu Udeoba , a Nigerian writer . is an alumnus of the 2021 SprinNG writing fellowship. His work has appeared on Kalahari Review, NSPP anthologies , and elsewhere. He was a finalist for the Nigerian News Direct Poetry Prize, 2020, and was the 2nd Runner Up in the Nigerian Students Poetry Prize (NSPP) 2021. He’s on Twitter @ebubeudeoba.

Adaobi Chiemelu (Nigeria)

Adaobi Chiemelu is a consummate artist of Igbo-Nigerian descent. She is deeply passionate about beauty, truth, language, nature , and culture. She is currently working as an editor and researcher on a number of Igbo language and culture projects.

She is the author of Purple Heart , a poetry chapbook with a confessional theme, released October 2022 and available for purchase. You can find her online (IG/Twitter/YouTube) @adaolilies.

Matshediso Radebe (South Africa)

Matshediso Radebe is a 22-year-old South African short fiction writer . Her pieces tend to be built on characters and their relationships more than anything else. She ha s been writing since she was nine but only recently started taking short fiction craft more seriously. She is a BA Communication student.

Immaculate Halla (Tanzania)

Immaculate Halla was born in Dar es salaam, Tanzania. An avid reader with a passion for writing short stories , novels, and poetry. She shows some of her work on Writers Space Africa , and she runs a substack newsletter called ‘One More Book’, which is a lounge for books, bookworms, and writers.

Mohan Akal (Kenya)

Akal Mohan is an emerging writer and poet currently based in Kampala, Uganda. He reads in trust and writes in faith and thinks of stories as a way of processing the world.

Ntombikamama Moyo (Zimbabwe)

Ntombikamama Moyo has an Honours degree in Publishing Studies from the National University of Science and Technology and has previously worked as a Publisher ’ s assistant, copy editor , and proofreader. In 2020, she published her debut novel In 30 Days . Her short story , “ Stuck in Limbo ” , was shortlisted in a national writing competition and subsequently published in the Intwasa Short Stories Anthology Volume 2 in 2022. Ntombi’s work is biased towards romance and drama which celebrates family and friendship values.

Nnaemeka Nnam (Nigeria)

Nnaemeka Nnam is a Nigerian Poet who exists on the margin. Their poems have been published or are forthcoming at Nn ọ k ọ Stories, W&S and elsewhere. Nnaemeka wants you to embrace love, sadness and joy as they come . When they are not obsessing over books on Instagram, they are wishing upon a star.

Anjola Ogunsanwo (Nigeria)

Anjola Ogunsanwo holds a first-class degree in communications from Covenant University. She works as a copywriter and social media strategist and TV host. Her works have been featured o n Green Black Tales and Taint Taint Taint lit Mag . In 2020, her first feature manuscript Of Orchids and New Songs was shortlisted for the Quramo Writers prize.

Adeola Aregbesola (Nigeria)

Adeola Aregbesola is a 23-year-old Nigerian writer .

Zenande Black (South Africa)

Zenande Black is a writer who studied Film and Television. She writes scripts and short stories. Zen spends most of her time writing and growing her own food.

Congratulations to the Fellows!

If you wish for amazing opportunities as a writer, you can start by applying for Writing Fellowships and contests

Devoted to publishing the best of South African poetry, prose and art

National Poetry Prize

Competition details.

NOTE: Submissions are closed until June 2024

The National Poetry Prize is a South African competition for a poem of up to 60 lines. Poets must reside in South Africa or be South African citizens. There is no theme; we are asking for each poet’s best original, unpublished work to be submitted.

The competition is for poems in English. Poems can, however, be submitted in any of the official South African languages, provided they are accompanied by an English translation (judging will take place based on the English translation; any prize money awarded for a poem in translation will be shared equally between the poet and the translator). Multiple entries are permitted; there is an entry fee ( click here for details ).

All poems will be judged anonymously. A shortlist comprising of a maximum of ten poems will be selected. The winning poems will be published in New Contrast and the Jack Journal, guaranteeing wide exposure for the winners.

Bruce Jack Wines

The National Poetry Prize is sponsored by Bruce Jack. Bruce Jack Wines is a global wine company, specialising in making little bottles of joy. “We aim to leave our land in a better state than we found it. We listen to our grapes. We value truth. We like ice cream as well. And chocolate. And surfing.”

021 813 9224

‘People Like Us’

By matshediso radebe, first place.

2022 SHORT STORY WRITING COMPETITION

July. Whenever I see a truck in the rear-view mirror, I fantasise about opening the car door. I know it would crush me and I’d become nothing but a memory in an instant. I also know that the road is wet and slippery and that can make driving tricky; that’s how I almost got us killed last year when I was driving back from Eric’s parents’ thirtieth anniversary party while he was passed out on the passenger seat, drooling, with bottles of Hansa rattling at his feet.

With the rain burbling on the car roof like cooking oil and competing with the Billy Joel song, I trace two droplets down the window, watching one get bigger and faster while the other falls behind. Eric’s jacket almost swallows and disfigures me, making me look limbless; it’s warm and smells like him, like English Blazer and cannabis.

While drumbeating the steering wheel to the radio, in between drags of his cigarette, Eric tells me how proud he is, as if checking into a treatment centre is such a fucking achievement. You sit in the backseat, spitting the occasional, mindless ‘yeah, true, totally’ like you’re adlibbing a trap song, probably swiping away on Tinder. Ever since Ma’s funeral last month you’ve kept a revolving door of guys and I’m worried about you. When I recommended therapy, you paused and then said, ‘Sorry, but you lose a say in your sister’s life when you have meltdowns over the calories in PB & J sandwiches.’ You apologised the next day, but still … .

At the reception, I’m signed in by a blondie with skin as smooth as crinkled white paper. Though she smells like cheap spirits and has dead curls where her bangs should be, with that jawline and those collar bones I’d still put her on my Pinterest vision board. She flashes a yellowish smile before giving me papers to fill out. Before you guys leave, Eric kisses my forehead and reminds me that he’s proud again while you stand by the door, tapping your wrist because you’re late for something.

December. In varsity, Eric and I used to skip parties to stay in and watch pirated K-dramas and eat instant noodles on the peeling leather couch his father gave him. He’d stockpile 24-pack sugar-free Red Bulls for me, study the scattered tattoos on my arms like they were one of his cartography assignments, ask about their backstories while tracing the underlying scar tissue with the scratchy tip of his finger.

‘I got them to cover up my mother’s cigarette burns,’ I said once.

He said they reminded him of cute bumper stickers of pins, ducklings, stars, hearts. When we slept, his body would shadow me and make me feel small in the same way the lemon tree in our backyard did, the tree you used to say looked like an emaciated girl with yellow pins in her afro, the one we used to retreat to on cruel summer days. Remember?

After graduation Eric and I both scored decent-paying internships. Me at a nice accounting firm and Eric at his uncle’s mining firm, collecting samples and making coffee. Neither of us wanted to move back home so we invested in an apartment cinched into western Cape Town. The toilet got blocked every second week, the ceiling leaked when it rained, and the walls were an ugly teal colour we promised to repaint but never got around to. Regularly, we’d get stoned on the balcony and he’d read my short stories and call me brilliant.

‘I’d buy your anthology if you ever had the balls to publish one,’ he’d say.

The geyser only keeps water hot for about an hour, so we shower together often. Some Saturdays we play dominoes and watch K-dramas. The house has two bedrooms, but most times we fall asleep on his bed and wake up holding hands like otters, breaths synced into a single cadence. I only sleep in my bed when he brings girls over. The walls are paper thin, the girls are always loud, and Eric always forgets to buy me earplugs.

You think Eric and I are in love but afraid to admit it, which is expected because all your lovers started out friends and you think ‘queerplatonic’ is a friendship between two gays. I introduced you two three weeks after we moved in, a week after my 22 nd birthday. You called our place cute; ‘it’s giving … minimalist chic’, you said.

You were in town for a photography gig and thought it would be good to stop by and meet the topic of our tri-yearly conversations. You wore maroon lipstick and a black miniskirt. I wore a yellow crop top and blue jeans. Eric said we looked like sororal twins, like alternative versions of the same person from different dimensions in a sci-fi about time travel.

We settled into his couch, talking and laughing while rotating bottles of Smirnoff until the light outside died and we were too sloshed to walk. We played a stupid game where we tried to tell each other apart by feeling each other’s faces in the dark. Eric felt nesh with the occasional prickliness of a beard in its infancy. His lips felt supple and pink, like a tulip. You felt like Ma – canine jaw, bumpered skin, semi-chapped lips. Eric brought up how crazy it was how just yesterday we could all fall asleep and trust that there’d be an adult to carry us from the couch to the bed, but now we were the adults.

‘Did Ma ever carry us to bed?’ I asked.

‘Of course,’ you said. ‘How else would she have known we needed to go on all those diets?’ We laughed.

But that feels like a millennia ago. Now we’re at a wedding reception, watching you walk down the aisle in Ma’s white beaded dress – the one you’ve altered into a more plunged v-neckline and cinched waist. That daisy wreath makes you look angelic. The slit revealing the red dragon tattoo veiling the scar courtesy of Ma’s flatiron makes you feel avant-garde. I never got the full story on why that happened. All I know is you screamed and begged Pa to take you to the hospital because you thought you were going to die, but he said something about social workers and forgiveness. Ma gave me your tunics and skirts and you spent your remaining high school weeks in baggy, grey slacks. Pa nursed you, apologised whenever he changed the dressing and you winced, put honey on the wound and assured us it would all be funny one day. He let you trace the soft, aged knife scar underlying the yin and yang tattoo under his ribcage.

‘This isn’t the first time your Ma has gone a bit overboard,’ he chuckled as if trying to turn it into a light-hearted joke. ‘When you turn 18, I’ll take you to Tbose myself. Best tattoo artist I know’.

You guys don’t talk anymore, but he asks about you all the time. When I told him about the wedding, he said he understood why you wouldn’t want him there, considering the fact that you didn’t even go to Ma’s funeral. He asked me to visit him on Christmas.

‘We don’t even have to eat, dear,’ he’d said in a voice as lived-in as a sweater.

You barely visited me while I was at the treatment centre, and Eric came with an excuse each time, each more unbelievable than the last. ‘She’s sick’, ‘She’s helping a charity’, and my personal favourite – ‘She’s at church’. I got to thinking about Pa and how he must feel knowing his two daughters just cut him off. Now I call him every day. Call it guilt; call it filial duty.

You’re marrying a guy named Jon. Jon has a round belly, skinny limbs, a yacht, and ‘good intentions’, as you put it when I tried to talk you out of this a week ago after I was discharged. You met Jon at a bar and really hit it off debating Margaret Atwood’s male gaze theory. Somewhere between coffee dates and late-night video calls it struck you that he acts like he was ‘written by a woman’ and you knew he was the one. He changes accents depending on who he’s talking to and calls himself ‘a man of culture’ because he knows three Amapiano songs and can speak semi-fluent Setswana. Eric hates him.

November. Eric and Sylvia are out on a date. They’ve been dating for three months and she doesn’t live here but she still keeps some of her clothes and toiletries here for sleepovers. I like Sylvia because she’s a quiet lover and doesn’t act weird about us bumping into each other in the kitchen the next morning. Once, I told her I was asexual and she said ‘Oh, cool’ and proceeded to write the grocery list.

‘Regular or diet coke?’ she’d asked, biting the butt of the pen. Playing with the loose thread of my turquoise sweater under the table, I realised that this was the first time someone had asked me if I even wanted regular coke in a long time.

‘Yeah, regular’s good,’ I’d said casually, hoping she couldn’t tell how much that meant to me. Loved ones hear ‘anorexic … restrictive’ and suddenly you don’t have a say in your food consumption.

You rest your arms against the cool steel rail outlooking the traffic below our balcony. You’re in a yellow bodycon dress that highlights your svelte figure, the kind of figure that attracts model scouts in malls. Your skin is polished mahogany; light catches your shoulders, forehead and cheekbones. You’re beautiful. I tell you about maybe visiting Pa sometime soon, how great Eric and Sylvia are, and how I know it won’t last because Sylvia has a whole Pinterest mood board with wedding dresses and Eric hates the idea of marriage.

You laugh and mention that Jon has an opening in a friend’s accounting firm.

‘Send me your CV,’ you say. I got fired at my last firm, the one I interned for after graduation. I was passing out in print rooms and missing important deadlines, and the bags under my eyes looked sickly and unnatural. I looked like I was battling a life-long heroin addiction. It wasn’t long until the big white man with a round belly and expensive cologne called me into his office and offered an ultimatum: drug rehab centre or getting fired. Somehow, leaving as a ‘heroin addict’ felt less humiliating than explaining that I was currently living on apples and sugar-free Red Bulls. When I got home and told Eric he wasn’t so much surprised as he was just pissed and sad. He promised to move out if I didn’t get help and booked me into a treatment centre the following week.

‘Why isn’t it out here?’ you nod at the Opuntia on the windowsill. The house-warming gift. It’s the ugliest thing I own. Whenever I look at it, I imagine you walking past budding lilies and orchids, seeing a hostile, parched, defensive ball of needles huddled in a corner and thinking ‘Yes … perfect for her’. It’s the subtext that bothers me.

‘That window’s fine,’ I say. ‘Plus, I read an article saying not to move them around too much.’

‘ An article? You read one article?’ You cough an obscure giggle, settling into the white chair across from mine. ‘A little knowledge is a dangerous thing when it comes to you. Just a thumbnail’s worth of info and you can concoct an entire human out of it.’

What a stupid analogy.

I offer you carrot cake while we watch the sun tuck itself behind the horizon, but you reject it. Cigarette gritted between your teeth, you grab the matchbox on the glass table between us and strike so hard, there’s a fierce sizzle.

‘Do you think Ma would be proud of us?’ I take a sip of my green tea.

Crushing your half-finished cigarette, you work your way through a new one like Ma always said … something about finishing a whole packet being unladylike.

‘Unfortunately, yes.’

An orchestra of road-raged honks and blaring sirens soundtracks our brief pause. We laugh.

Matshediso Radebe is a 21-year-old second-year Communications student who has loved storytelling for as long as she can remember. She has her primary school English teachers to thank for the bits of confidence that have carried her writing for the past decade or so. Troubled characters with relatable relationships and compelling dynamics drive her storytelling.

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Writing Competitions In Africa 2024: Poetry, Short Stories, Fiction

access to the African writing competitions 2024, we compiled a list of writing opportunities for African writers. Enjoy writing competitions in Africa

Writing Competitions In Africa 2024 List

Ensure you read the submission guidelines before submitting for the writing contests
Ensure you are conversant with what the organizers of the writing contests want. You can do this by checking the works that won the previous contests.
Ensure you meet the submission deadline for the writing contest. One mistake most writers make while submitting for contests in 2024, is omitting the date the submission closed or not paying close attention to it.
Eligibility requirement for the contests. Checks if there's one provided for in the contest.
And lastly, take a deep breath and submit your entries after proper checks for possible errors.
International Writing Competitions 2024
Poetry Competitions In 2024
Essay Contests In 2024
Poetry Competitions In Nigeria 2024
Writing Competitions In Nigeria 2024
Essay Contests In Nigeria 2024
Poetry Competitions UK 2024
Writing Competitions UK 2024
Essay Contests UK 2024
Writing Competitions In USA 2024
Essay Contests USA 2024
Writing Competitions In Canada 2024
Poetry Competitions In Canada 2024
Writing Competitions In Australia 2024
Poetry Competitions In Australia 2024
Writing Competitions United Arab Emirates 2024
Short Story Competitions 2024
Literary Magazines Accepting Submissions 2024
Poetry Competitions For African Writers 2024

Writing Competitions In Africa 2024

Short Story Competitions In Nigeria 2024
Mental Health Poetry Competitions 2024

Writing Competitions In Africa 2024 January

Defenestrationism's Lengthy Poem Contest 2024
Gemini Magazine Poetry Prize 2024
The Martha Heasley Cox Center for Steinbeck Studies 2024
Quantum Shorts Flash Fiction Contest 2024
The Colorado Prize for Poetry 2024
The Gulliver Travel Grant 2023
Rattle Chapbook Prize 2024
Chris O'Malley Prize in Fiction 2024 and Phyllis Smart-Young Prize in Poetry 2024
Pawners Paper's Spoken Word and Poetry Contest 1.0 2024
Askew’s Word on the Lake Writing Contest 2023
Story Unlikely Annual Short Story Contest 2024

Writing Competitions In Africa 2024 February

Dragonblade Publishing's Write Track Competition 2024
The Ambroggio Prize 2024
Harold Morton Landon Translation Award 2024
The Tower Poetry Competition 2024

Writing Competitions In Africa 2024 March

The 2024 New Poets Prize
Black Women’s Non-Fiction Manuscript Prize 2024
Indignor House Writing Competition 2024

Writing Competitions In Africa 2024 April

Wergle Flomp Humor Poetry Contest 2024

List Of Writing Competitions In Africa 2023

European Writing Prize 2023
The prize for the winner will be as follows:
50 euros paid via PayPal or bank transfer
Automatic lifetime membership into The European Society of Literature
Publication in the following quarterly literary journal of TESL
Potential talks with literary agents — they may scout the shortlist and winners.
The prestige associated with being victorious! An unmatched opportunity to get your foot in the burgeoning literary industry of Europe and the Americas.
Island Prize For African Writers 2023
International Student Essay Competition 2023
Stacy Doris Memorial Poetry Award 2023
Nine Dots Prize 2023
Ako Caine Prize For African Writing 2023
Welkin Writing Prize 2023

I’m running this competition as a thank you to the writing community which has done so much to support both my writing and my freelance work over the past few years. In September 2022, I was lucky enough to receive a DYCP grant from Arts Council England to fund paid research and writing time, and this competition feels like a small thing that I can do to pay forwards my good fortune. As such, the competition is free to enter and I hope it will be a welcoming space for all writers. The competition is open to all forms of narrative prose, be that flash fiction, short-short, vignette, haibun, hermit crab, prose poem or work that sits outside such labels. There is a whole universe (or welkin) of possibilities.

1st place (£150 + annual membership of Writers' HQ worth £190)
2nd place (£75 + AdHoc Fiction book voucher worth £25)
3rd place (£50 + a copy of "Deflection" by Roberta Beary)
Jerry Jazz Musician Short Fiction Contest 2023
Imagine Little Tokyo Short Story Contest 2023
Deep Wild 2023 Graduate Student Poetry Contest
Global Essay Competition 2023
Center For African American Poetry and Poetics Book Prize 2023
The Diana Woods Memorial Award 2023
The Graywolf Press African Fiction Prize 2023
Annual BSFS Poetry Contest 2023
Please no previously published submissions.
Winners will receive a cash prize, convention membership and be invited to read their winning entries at Balticon. Attendance at Balticon is not required to win.
Winning poems will be published one time in the BSFAN, the Balticon convention souvenir book. In addition, a pdf version of the winning poems as they appear in the BSFAN will be available on the Balticon Poetry Contest website. Writers retain all rights to their work. By submitting to the contest, entrants agree to these terms
Stephen Spender Prize 2023
2023 Helen Schaible International Sonnet Contest
Winchester Poetry Prize 2023
The 1729 Book Prize in Poetry 2023
SURGING TIDE: THE ANNUAL SUMMER WRITING CONTEST
2023 Platt Family Scholarship Essay Contest
3rd Singapore Unbound Awards for the Best Undergraduate Critical Essays on Singapore and Other Literatures 2023
The Granum Foundation Prize 2023
The Yale Drama Series 2023
Lucky Jefferson Poetry & Prose Summer Contest 2023
Palette Poetry's Chapbook Prize 2023
The Kari Howard Fund for Narrative Journalism 2023
The Masters Review’s Short Story Award for New Writers 2023
The Edinburgh Award for Flash Fiction
Aesthetica Creative Writing Award 2023
The Val Wood Prize for Creative Writing 2023: The Hungry Tide 30th Anniversary Special
The Toni Beauchamp Prize in Critical Art Writing
The Amazon Kindle Storyteller Award 2023
Academy For Teachers: Stories Out of School Flash Fiction Contest 2023
The Gabo Prize for Literature in Translation & Multilingual Texts 2023
The Diana Woods Memorial Award in Creative Nonfiction, Issue 24
The New York Labor History Association’s Bernhardt Prize 2023
Frontier Poetry's Roots and Roads Prize 2023
Source Writing Prize 2023
Mslexia Women's Fiction Competition 2023
The César Egido Serrano Foundation 2023
The Iowa Short Fiction Award & John Simmons Short Fiction Award 2023
Jeffrey E. Smith Editors' Prize 2023
The Peter Poetry Prize 2023
The National Poetry Competition 2023
The ServiceScape Short Story Award 2023
Frontier Poetry's Award For New Poets 2023
The Benjamin Franklin Essay Competition 2023
2024 Treehouse Climate Action Poem Prize
Happiful Poetry Prize 2024
The Poetry.com Contest 2023
One Teen Story Contest 2023
2024 Minotaur Books/Malice Domestic Best First Traditional Mystery Novel Competition
The Betty Trask Prize 2023
Gregory O’Donoghue International Poetry Competition 2023
Cafe Writers Poetry Competition 2023
Tadpole Press 100-Word Writing Contest 2023
2023 Information Warfare Essay Contest
How might the opening salvoes of the next war begin in the information space,and what should be done now to defend against those attacks? How might our adversaries be planning to win without fighting by using information warfare?
What specific information warfare technologies (offensive and defensive) should the U.S. military be investing in now?
How can the military recruit, educate, train, and retain the information warriors it needs to prevail in the information environment?
Are there any recent case studies (that went well or poorly) that can provide lessons to guide strategy, operations, tactics, or acquisition over the next three to five years?
What role will electronic warfare and emissions control play in the future of naval warfare?
J.F. Powers Prize for Short Fiction 2023
The Sarah Maguire Poetry in Translation Prize 2023
The Sillerman First Book Prize for African Poetry
Mslexia Women's Poetry Competition 2023
Troubadour International Poetry Prize 2023
first prize £2,000
second prize £1,000
third prize £500
plus 20 commendeds
plus – winners & commendeds will be invited to read with judges (live & online) at the Bedford Park Festival ‘Yeats Birthday’ poetry event in June 2024.
Afritondo Short Story Prize 2024
The Masters Review Chapbook Competition 2024
The 2023 Society of Classical Poets International Poetry Competition
2024 Elizabeth Alexander Creative Writing Award
The Lyric College Poetry Contest 2023
The Writivism Literary Prizes 2023
The Tony Quagliano Poetry Award 2023
Harbor Editions' Laureate Prize 2024
Lilith Magazine Annual Fiction Contest 2023
Kinsman Quarterly’s Iridescence Award 2023

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South African Schools' Debating Board

Home of SA Schools Debating

Writing Competition

The Social Justice Writing Competition is the result of a partnership between young people, the South African Schools Debating Board and the the Centre For Sexualities AIDS and Gender (CSA&G) at the University of Pretoria- through its Just Leaders student volunteer programme.

The competition is an essay writing competition and is open to all grade 8-11 learners in South Africa. The top entries are selected and published in a book through the CSA&G. The first leg of this competition was hosted in Gauteng.

Reflection on the 2019 Project

Acknowledgements

This whole project would not have been possible without the significant effort and contributions from the following people and organisations:

Bettina Buabeng-Baidoo and the SA Schools Debating Board (SASDB) initiated this project and ensured that it was successful – it would not have happened without her.

Pierre Brouard and his organisation, the Centre for Sexualities, AIDS and Gender (CSA&G) at the University of Pretoria, worked closely with Bettina to take this project through its various stages.

Bettina and Pierre also edited the stories and assisted the learners to polish them.

Tumelo “Duke” Rasebopye of the CSA&G took this project under the wing of the Just Leaders project he manages at the CSA&G and he assisted with developing and implementing the Social Justice workshop which the school learners attended as a requirement of entering the essay writing competition. The Just Leaders project is funded by the Norway-based Students and Academics International Assistance Fund (SAIH) and their generous financial assistance helped make this project possible.

Volunteers of the SASDB (Khutso Mhlaba, Ethienne Smith) and Board Members Tlou Matshidiso, Rimbilana Shingange, Irene Mpofu and Richard Chemaly) helped out on the day of the Social Justice workshop, especially with logistics; and volunteers from the CSA&G’s Just Leaders project (Boitumelo Nokeri, Chigo Mabila, Mohau Nei, Onkaetse Khupari) helped to organise and run the workshop, leading sessions with the learners, modelling advocacy and leadership.

Crawford College Pretoria generously hosted the workshop for the learners and Yvonne Ready offered support and oversight from Crawford’s perspective on that day, we thank them for this.

Last but not least, Johan Maritz designed, laid out and formatted the booklet and helped us to achieve an excellent product.

2019 Book Abstract

When final year medical student Bettina Buabeng-Baidoo approached the C entre for Sexualities, AIDS and Gender (CSA&G) at the University of Pretoria (UP) , in her role as Fundraising Officer in the South African Schools Debating Board (SASDB) , to collaborate on a social justice writing competition for high school learners, we were very excited.

The South African Schools Debating Board is a non-profit organisation which facilitates World School Style debating in the nation. The SASDB believes that debating and public discourse are pivotal tools in creating a more tolerant and equal society.

The CSA&G runs a social justice project for students at UP , Just Leaders , and we have learned that the energy, enthusiasm and sense of justice in young people is infectious, and critical to a functioning society based on freedom of speech, fairness and dignity, determined to redress the imbalances of the past.

This volunteer programme, funded by the Students and Academics International Assistance Fund (SAIH) , aims to build an inclusive UP, one which recognises that differences around class, ability, socio-economic status, gender, sexuality and race still matter in who arrives at, and succeeds in, the University. The #FeesMustFall movement was an earthquake for the tertiary sector, in its aftermath there is still much work to be done.

This social justice writing competition was Bettina’s brainchild; building on her work with the SASDB where she coaches young people in debating skills. This marriage of her interests and the CSA&G’s ethos has been a happy one. Together we developed

a call for schools in Gauteng to send teams of Grade 10 – 12 learners, accompanied by their debating teacher, to a one-day workshop on social justice. The workshop was hosted with the generosity of Crawford College in Pretoria and we especially single out Yvonne Reddy for her support for the day.

Run by volunteers of the Just Leaders programme, the workshop explored human rights and social justice in South Africa, and then homed in on themes of race, inequality, HIV, sexualities and gender as exemplars of work that still needs to be done in South Africa to realise the dream of an equal and fair society.

Participants in this workshop were then invited to write and submit an essay which had social justice as its theme. While they were encouraged to write on the themes of the workshop, any essay which explored justice in post-Apartheid South Africa was eligible. We selected the most promising essays, provided feedback for re-writes and revisions where necessary, and helped to polish them lightly so that they shine. We did not select winners or runners up for this exercise, but chose to showcase a cross section of stories instead: the entries appear in no particular order.

It is important to note that we obtained full consent from the essay writers and their parents/guardians for these stories to be published.

This consent was important because we discovered that the learners did not hold back! HIV diagnoses, rape, gender, violence, questionings around sexual orientation and gender identity, provocations around race (did it still matter today- definitely said one writer, it shouldn’t said another) and questions of privilege and culpability come up in these stories. There is a rawness to some of them and while they don’t reflect the views of the CSA&G , the SASDB , or the schools from which the learners are drawn, we are also passionate in our defence of their right to have their say. These are their views, their stories and we are proud of them. We hope you will be too.