The Island Prize for Fiction has officially opened submissions for its third year, continuing its mission to spotlight and support emerging literary talents across Africa.
Named after Karen Kenning’s novel, The Island, The Island Prize is administered by Jennings and the Holland House (UK) in collaboration with Karavan Press (South Africa). Launched in 2022, the prize was established to address the underrepresentation of African voices in global literature by providing aspiring writers with a platform to showcase their work.
Since its inception, The Island Prize has been praised for fostering cross-cultural literary exchanges and celebrating the rich diversity of stories originating from the African continent. By connecting finalists with experienced publishing professionals and agents, the prize seeks to empower authors with the tools and opportunities needed to succeed in the competitive literary world.
Submission Guidelines:
- Entrants must be citizens or permanent residents of African countries.
- Authors who have previously published novels are ineligible, although those with published works in non-fiction, short stories, or poetry are welcome to apply.
- Entrants must not have literary agents
- Manuscripts exceeding 120,000 words will be disqualified.
- Re-submissions of previously entered novels are not permitted.
To send in your entry, submit the first three chapters or up to 10,000 words of their completed novel, accompanied by a short synopsis, to submissions@theislandprize.com.
The winner of the prize will receive £500, while two finalists will each be awarded £200. Beyond the monetary rewards, all three finalists will gain invaluable access to publishing agents and detailed feedback from industry professionals.
Submissions close on February 16, 2025, at 12 AM CAT.
For more details on the guidelines, visit The Island Prize’s official website
Best of luck to all applicants!.
Bakare Oluwatobiloba
I write to educate, motivate and define history with literature. Just being me!
