The African Poetry Digital Portal (APDP) has announced a call for proposals for its 2026 African Poetry Digital Humanities Grant, inviting scholars and researchers to submit projects focused on African poetry and digital humanities.
Funded by the Andrew Mellon Foundation, the grant supports research that applies digital tools and computational methods to the study, documentation, and interpretation of African poetry. Selected projects must place African poetry at the centre of inquiry and demonstrate the use of digital research methodologies within the humanities.
The grant awards $10,000 and will run from April 2026 to April 2027. Successful applicants will be required to advance or complete a digital humanities project on African poetry, make the project or its documentation available on the African Poetry Digital Portal, submit a critical commentary on the project’s technological and thematic challenges, and provide a plan for future expansion of the work.
The African Poetry Digital Portal documents the work of African poets. It provides equitable digital access to creative, intellectual, and archival materials on African poetry, housed in academic and cultural institutions across Africa and the African diaspora.
Grant Details
Grant recipients will be required to:
- Advance or complete a digital humanities project on African poetry and make the project, or its documentation, available for feature on the African Poetry Digital Portal.
- Submit a critical commentary addressing the project’s technological and thematic challenges and its effectiveness.
- Provide a plan outlining future expansion or continuation of the project.
Application Requirements
Applicants must submit:
- A project proposal (maximum of three pages), including: An abstract of no more than 300 words;
- A project narrative outlining the nature of the project, the area of African poetry under study, the research question and approach, technological requirements (excluding personal computer purchases), and a detailed timeline with key milestones.
- A detailed one-page budget with clear justifications for each item.
- A curriculum vitae from the primary researcher, including relevant examples of previous work.
- To submit your entry, click here.
Application closes January 23, 2026.
Best of luck to all applicants!
