The K and L Short Story Prize 2024, the SEVHAGE Prize’s category for Short Fiction 2024, is open to African writers globally.
This year, they are open to stories that focus on mental health and reduce stigma while encouraging positive stories to promote well-being. This is open to the interpretation of the writer. The top prize for this category is five hundred thousand naira.
Eligibility:
- The competition is open to Africans (writers from any African country) living anywhere in the world.
- They define an African to be anyone whose parents are of African origin, or who are African themselves or were born in Africa.
How to Apply and Other Information:
- Entrants can submit only one original story.
- Ensure that your story is within the word count (800 – 2000 words).
- All entries should be sent in a single Microsoft Word document. (format: Times New Roman font, single line spacing, font 12).
- Do not include your name in the attached document. Any entry that violates this guideline will be automatically disqualified.
- You can only make one entry, which cannot be resubmitted or changed. So, make all changes before you submit. Be sure before you submit.
- For emphasis, no mention or reference to the author or the author’s personal details should be made in the attached story or it will be disqualified.
- Shortlisted writers might be required to produce evidence of country of origin.
- The judges’ decisions are final and not open to debate.
- Shortlisted writers will be contacted by September. If any entrant does not hear from us by then, it might be safe for them to assume that their work did not make it to the short list or longlist.
- They will be publishing the shortlisted entries for this short story competition before the announcement of the award. Therefore, only those who are okay with having their works published should enter for the award.
- Winners will be announced latest November 2024.
- Submissions will only be accepted by submitting your story through the following link: SUBMIT.
The prize money for the first position is Five Hundred Thousand Naira (N500,000) while the other shortlisted writers will be awarded twenty thousand naira (N20,000) each. All shortlisted authors agree to have their work published in an anthology to be published by SEVHAGE.
[Note that outside accounts in Belgium, Benin, Cameroun, China, Côte D’Ivoire, France, Germany, Ghana, India, Ireland, Italy, Kenya, Netherlands, Nigeria, Pakistan, Portugal, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania, Uganda, United Kingdom, payments will be made only through PayPal]
The K & L Prize is majorly courtesy of an endowment by Dr Myles Idoko Ojabo (initiator of the Prize) and administered by SEVHAGE Literary and Development Initiative and SEVHAGE Publishers, a leading Nigerian publishing house registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission, which has been in operation since October 2012.
SEVHAGE has published more than 60 titles, a good number which have won, or been nominated for recognized literary prizes such as the $100,000 NLNG Prize for Literature, the Wole Soyinka Prize for African Literature, the Mandela Day Literary Prizes, the Association of Nigerian Authors’ Annual Literary prizes, and PEN Nigeria/Saraba Poetry Prize.
Deadline: 21 July 2024, 11:59 WAT
For any inquiry, send an email to sevhageprizes@gmail.com.
Best of luck!
Bongiwe T. Maphosa
Bongiwe Maphosa is a budding author with a passion for storytelling. With her thought-provoking narratives, she takes her readers on a literary adventure. Bongiwe's works on the human condition from a fresh perspective have earned her recognition and publications in the Avbob Poetry Anthology of 2019, The Writer's Club of South Africa 2021, and JAY Lit in 2021. She hopes to cement her place in the literary community.
