Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
Deadline: March 31, 2024
The Caine Prize for African Writing is an annual literary award that was established in 2000 to honour the late Sir Michael Caine, a British businessman and philanthropist who was a champion of African literature and culture. The prize aims to celebrate the diversity and richness of African writing and to encourage and promote its development.
The prize is awarded to a short story by an African writer that is published in English, either in Africa or elsewhere. The story can be up to 10,000 words long and can belong to any genre or style. The prize is open to writers from any African country, regardless of their residence or citizenship.
The winner of the prize receives a cash award of £10,000 and a travel grant to attend various literary events in the UK and Africa. The shortlisted writers also receive a cash award of £500 each and a travel grant to attend the award ceremony in London. The winner and the shortlisted writers are also invited to participate in a writers’ workshop in an African country, where they can network, exchange ideas, and produce new stories. The stories written at the workshop are published alongside the prize’s shortlisted stories in an annual anthology by various publishers in Africa and the UK.
SEE ALSO: Chatham House Senior Research Fellow – Innovation and Sustainability 2024
Benefits
The Caine Prize for African Writing 2024 offers a unique opportunity for African short story writers to showcase their work and benefit from the following:
- Access to a prestigious and lucrative award that recognizes and rewards excellence in African writing.
- Exposure to a global audience of readers, critics, publishers, and media outlets that can boost their visibility and reputation.
- Development of skills, knowledge, and networks that can enhance their personal and professional growth and impact.
- Participation in the vibrant and diverse literary scene and culture of Africa and the UK.
- Connection to the illustrious alumni and fellows of the Caine Prize and the African literary community.
Eligibility Criteria
The Caine Prize for African Writing 2024 is open to applicants who meet the following criteria:
- Have a short story that is published in English, either in Africa or elsewhere, in the five years preceding the submission deadline. For 2024 eligibility, the judges will only consider work published between April 1, 2019 and March 25, 2024.
- Have a short story that is more than 3,000 words and less than 10,000 words long.
- Have a short story that is submitted by a publisher. This includes publishers of physical and digital books, literary journals, magazines, and arts-oriented websites. Self-published and unpublished short stories are not eligible.
- Have a short story that is not entered for consideration for the Caine Prize more than once. This means that a story that was not selected for the shortlist in a previous year cannot be re-submitted.
- Have a short story that is not a novel, a children’s story, a factual writing, an academic essay, a play, a poem, an autobiography/biography, or any work that does not constitute a fictional short story.
- Have a short story that specifies the African country that the author comes from and the word count of the story.
- Have a short story that is accompanied by a publisher’s letter that provides the following information: name of the writer, title of the story, word count of the story, qualifying nationality of the writer, date of publication of the story, confirmation of consent from the writer.
Application Process and Documents Required
The application process for the Caine Prize for African Writing 2024 consists of the following steps:
- Register and complete the online application form on the Caine Prize website.
- Submit the following documents as part of the online application:
- A PDF copy or a link to the short story that is being submitted for the prize.
- A publisher’s letter that provides the required information as mentioned above.
- Wait for the notification of the pre-selection results from the Caine Prize.
- If pre-selected, attend an online interview with the Caine Prize selection committee.
- If selected, receive a confirmation letter and a prize contract from the Caine Prize.
The application deadline for the 2024 edition of the prize is March 31, 2024. For more information, please visit the Caine Prize website or contact the Caine Prize at info@caineprize.com.
Application Registration Deadline: 31st March, 2024
