The Caine Prize for African Writing has opened submissions for its 2026 edition, inviting publishers to submit eligible fictional short stories between 1 December 2025 and 27 February 2026.
An annual award celebrating outstanding short fiction by African writers published in English, the Caine Prize for African Writing was established in 2000 in memory of Sir Michael Harris Caine. Created to highlight the richness of African storytelling and expand the global visibility of African authors, the prize has since grown into one of the most influential honours for African short fiction and is widely regarded as the leading award for African writing.
Submission Guidelines
How to Enter
- Submissions open on 1 December 2025 and close on 27 February 2026.
- Entries must be submitted by a publisher or an independent third-party institution, not directly by the author.
- The submitting publisher cannot be the author of the story.
- Publishers must obtain the author’s full consent before submitting.
Eligibility Criteria
- Eligible stories must have been published between 27 February 2021 and 27 February 2026.
- Only fictional short stories qualify.
- Stories must be between 3,000 and 10,000 words.
- Authors must be at least 18 years old at the time of submission.
What’s Not Eligible
- Unpublished or self-published stories, including works released on digital self-publishing platforms.
- Genres such as novels, children’s stories, academic works, essays, non-fiction, plays, poetry, and autobiographical writing.
- Stories outside the 3,000–10,000-word range.
- Stories previously submitted to the Caine Prize.
Submission Requirements
- Publishers may submit multiple stories but only one story per author.
- If more than one publisher submits stories by the same author, the author will select which story proceeds.
- For digital publications:
- Submit a PDF of the published story, or
- A PDF containing a link to the online publication.
- Submissions must clearly state the author’s African country of origin and the story’s word count.
Translations
- English translations of previously published stories are eligible.
- If a translated story wins, the prize money is shared: 70% to the author and 30% to the translator.
Rights and Permissions for Shortlisted Authors
- Shortlisted writers grant exclusive global print, digital, and audio rights to the Prize for two years.
- After two years, full rights return to the author, while the Prize retains non-exclusive rights for anthology publication.
- Story excerpts may be used for promotional purposes with full credit to the author.
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