The Caine Prize for African Writing is a literature prize awarded to an African writer of a short story published in English. The prize was launched in 2000 to encourage and highlight the richness and diversity of African writing by bringing it to a wider audience internationally. The focus on the short story reflects the contemporary development of the African story-telling tradition.
Benefits:
- Winning and short-listed authors will be invited to participate in writers’ workshops in Africa, London and elsewhere as resources permit.
- There is a cash prize of £10,000 for the winning author and a travel award for each of the short-listed candidates (up to five in all).
- The shortlisted candidates will also receive a Prize of £500. The winner is also invited to go to three literature festivals in Kenya, South Africa and Nigeria.
Eligibility
- Unpublished work is not eligible for the Caine Prize.
- Submissions should be made by publishers only.
- Only fictional work is eligible.
- Only one story per author will be considered in any one year.
- Submissions should specify which African country the author comes from and the word count.
- We require 6 copies of the work in its originally published version.
- If the work is published in a book or journal, we would like to receive at least one copy of the book / journal and five photocopies; but particularly where several stories are submitted from one anthology we would like if possible to receive six copies of the book / journal itself.
- If the work is published online, we would like to receive six photocopies.
Please note that works which do not conform to the criteria will not be considered for the prize. Please do not waste your own time and postage by sending in material which is unsuitable. Works not eligible for entry include stories for children, factual writing, plays, biography, works shorter than 3000 words and unpublished work.
How to Apply:
There is no application form. To apply please send six original published copies of the work for consideration to the Caine Prize office.
- If the work is published in a book or journal, we would like to receive at least one copy of the book / journal and five photocopies; but particularly where several stories are submitted from one anthology we would like if possible to receive six copies of the book / journal itself.
- If published in a magazine or journal we will accept one original copy plus five photocopies, but would prefer six original copies.
- If the work is published online, we would like to receive six printed copies.
For More Information:
Visit the Official Webpage of the Caine Prize for African Writers