The Gloria Cancer Foundation, #AfRICAUnfiltered, and VO Studios have announced a critical review competition for The Masculinity Manual and Other Stories, a collection of 17 stories by Nigerian writer and creative artist Davidfnycountry Austine Ogbadu.
The competition invites Nigerian readers, writers, students, and literary enthusiasts to submit original reviews of between 500 and 700 words. The winner will receive ₦50,000 and an opportunity to have the review published, while selected entries may appear in the next edition of the book.
Published in Nigeria in 2026, The Masculinity Manual examines the rules we inherit, the parts we perform, and the damage that can be done in the name of becoming who the world expects us to be. Through stories of fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, husbands and wives, faith and fear, love and resentment, envy, madness and joy, forgiveness and obsession, Ogbadu explores religion, societal expectations, money-driven lives, and the truths we hide from others and ourselves. Enter his world, where the things we are taught to become can become the very things we must eventually question. Because masculinity is never only about men.
Ogbadu is a Nigerian writer, actor, director, and singer with a background in Theatre Arts from Kogi State University. His other creative works include Ogiehgieh The Musical, which was shortlisted for the Association of Nigerian Authors’ Nigeria Prize for Drama in 2025, and The Visitor, which won the inaugural sub-Sahara Screenplay Contest in 2023.
Submissions must be original, and AI-written reviews will not be accepted.
To enter: Purchase the book for ₦9,000, read it, write your review, and submit your entry through this form along with proof of purchase and a Google Docs document to your review.
Only Nigerian nationals are eligible to participate.
The submission deadline is December 5, 2026, with the winner scheduled to be announced on December 15.
Best of luck to all applicants!
