How to Submit for The 2020 K & L Prize ($1000 Cash Prize & more)

Deadline: December 1, 2019.

Entries are now welcomed for the 2019 K & L Prize. The prize, founded and sponsored by the New Zealand based writer, Myles Ojabo, is worth $1000.  2019 K & L Prize is an annual competition for the best piece of unpublished short fiction by an African writer. This year, the theme for the prize is “Africanfuturism”, a term coined by the Nigerian-American writer, Nnedi Okorafor.

In a statement released by the organizer,

“In Africanfuturism there are often description of aliens, and sometimes witches. The settings are likely in a recognizable future Africa, with African lineages—which “are not cultural hybrids but rooted in the history and traditions of the continent” with no element or traits drawn from Western culture (or even pop culture).”

Eligibility:

• Any who is a citizen of an African country.
• Anyone who resides in an African country.
• Anyone who is between the ages of 18 and 25.

How to Submit:

• Submit a story of not more than 2000 words.
• The story should reflect the theme, “Afrofuturism”.
• The story to be entered for the prize must not have previously been published.
• The story must be in Word document.
• Email subject should be the name of the short story, age of the entrant and “2020 K & L Prize”.
• Entries should be sent to [email protected]
• The deadline for submissions is December 1, 2019.
• NOTE: All longlisted writers are required to submit a copy of their birth certificate, and all shortlisted writers are expected to submit their photos and other information required to publicize the price.
• The judges decisions are final and not subject to appeal.

Prize:

• The winner will receive 1000 New Zealand Dollars. In a case where there are joint winners, the prize money will be split.
• All the longlisted stories will be published in the anthology: “K & L Anthology: Black Skin, No Mask.”
• Every writer on the longlist will get a free copy of the anthology but will be responsible for shipping cost.
• Shortlisted writers will be interviewed.

Read the profile of the judges below:

• Chigbo Arthur Anyaduba

Anyaduba is an assistant professor of English at the University of Winnipeg, Canada. His work focuses broadly on contemporary African literatures. His current research examines representations of mass atrocities and genocides in Africa. Anyaduba is a recipient of several prestigious awards, including a Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship for his doctoral dissertation at the University of Manitoba, and a J.B. and Maurice C. Shapiro Fellowship at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum for his research on “African” genocides. He is also a senior editor of Saraba Literary Magazine and his creative writings have appeared on numerous platforms.

• Dione Joseph

She is the founder of Black Creatives Aotearoa and co-founder of JK Productions: He Kōrero Ngā Tahi (Telling Our Stories Together). Her commitment to creating, sharing and manifesting opportunities for diverse artists has seen her work as director and dramaturge in theatre for the last decade across New Zealand, Australia and the USA. She has also been active as a writer stage critic, international guest scholar and community advocate. She has a MA in Community and Cultural Development from the Victorian College of the Arts and an BA (Hons) in Theatre Studies from the University of Melbourne.