The Caine Prize Award for African Writing is an annual literary accolade conferred upon a published short story by an African author. It is named as a tribute to the late Sir Michael Caine, former Chairman of Booker plc. Sir Michael Caine played a crucial role as Chairman of the ‘Africa 95’ arts festival in Europe and Africa in 1995 and served as Chairman of the Booker Prize management committee for almost 25 years. Following his demise, friends and colleagues established a £10,000 prize to be granted annually in his memory.
Benefits:
- The recipient and writers shortlisted for the award will receive invitations to participate in events held in Africa, London, and potentially other locations based on available resources and circumstances. Travel awards will be provided to each shortlisted candidate in these instances.
ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA:
- The story must have been published within the five years preceding the submission deadline. For eligibility in 2024, the judges will only consider works published between April 1, 2019, and March 25, 2024.
- Entries should be more than 3,000 words and less than 10,000 words.
- Entries must be submitted by a publisher, encompassing publishers of physical and digital books, literary journals, magazines, and arts-oriented websites.
- Writers must be at least 18 years old at the time of submission.
- Self-published and unpublished short stories are ineligible.
- Publishers are encouraged to submit multiple short stories, provided they do not submit more than one story by the same author.
- Stories can only be submitted once for consideration for The Caine Prize for African Writing. Unfortunately, this means that a story cannot be re-entered for consideration, even if it was not chosen for the shortlist.
- Genres that are not eligible for entry include novels, children’s stories, factual writing, academic essays, plays, poetry, autobiographies, and any work that does not qualify as a fictional short story.
- Submissions must indicate the African country of origin for the author and the word count of the short story.
- Publishers must include a ‘publisher’s letter’ with each submission, providing the necessary details. Additional information is outlined below.
What should the publisher’s letter include? Publishers are mandated to provide the following details:
- Name of the writer(s).
- Title of the submitted story or stories.
- Word count for each submitted story.
- The qualifying nationality of the writer(s).
- The publication date of the story or stories.
- Verification of approval from the writer(s) whose stories are being entered for the prize.
- Each story must be submitted by the publisher through email (submissions@caineprize.com) as a PDF attachment or a link to the story (if published online).
- Ensure that ‘The Caine Prize for African Writing Entry for 2024’ is stated in the subject line of your email.
Submissions failing to adhere to the above criteria will not qualify for the prize. If you have any questions or inquiries regarding our eligibility criteria, please email info@caineprize.com, and we will be delighted to assist!
Method of Application
For More Information,
Application Deadline: March 31st, 2024.
