Etisalat Prize For Literature Announces 2018 Call For Entries, Apply Here

Etisalat has
announced a call for entries for the 2018 #Etisalat Prize for
Literature. The opening date for the submissions is 3rd July 2017 and
the closing deadline is 18th September 2017. The Etisalat Prize for
Literature is the first pan-African literary prize that celebrates
African writers of a debut published book of fiction. The Chief
Executive Officer of Etisalat Nigeria, Matthew Willsher, said the
company was delighted to flag off the fifth year of the Etisalat Prize
for Literature, which has become a leading platform for the discovery
and promotion of African literary talent. 

He disclosed that the
new panel of judges will comprise: Harry Garuba (chair), Doreen Baingana
and Siphiwo Mahala. Willsher added, “Over the years, we have seen the
Etisalat Prize for Literature impact on the African literary space by
encouraging creative writers and publishers to help tell compelling
stories about the African continent, and it is our conviction that the
judging panel – made up of very experienced writers, academics, literary
critics and editors – will be devoted to upholding the legacy and
reputation of the Prize.”
The judging panel will initially select
a longlist of nine titles, and following a second round of screening
will announce a shortlist of three finalists, ahead of the 2018 grand
finale/award ceremony. Outlining the criteria for entry, Willsher said
that books submitted must have been published in the previous 24 months
from the date of the call for entries. Such books should contain no
fewer than 30,000 words and must be the author’s first published fiction
book.

The author must be an African citizen, but may reside
anywhere in the world. Furthermore, all entries must be submitted by
incorporated publishing houses that have existed for six years or more,
with registered ISBN or the equivalent, and the publishers must have
published a minimum of three authors. A publisher may enter a maximum of
three titles. Seven copies of each title entered must accompany the
application form, along with an acceptance of the publicity terms of the
Etisalat Prize https://prize.etisalat.com.ng/terms.php .

The
winner receives £15,000, an engraved Montblanc Meisterstück pen, and an
Etisalat-sponsored fellowship at the University of East Anglia, where
he or she will be mentored by Professor Giles Foden, author of The Last
King of Scotland’. The winner and the two runners-up also participate in
a multi-city book tour sponsored by Etisalat.

Etisalat purchases
1,000 copies of each of the shortlisted titles for distribution to
schools, libraries and book clubs across the African continent.
Alongside the Prize for Literature is the Flash Fiction Award, an
online-based competition open to all African writers of unpublished
short stories of no more than 300 words. The winner of the Flash Fiction
Award receives £1,000 and a high-end device, while the two runners-up
for the Flash Fiction Award receive £500 each in addition to high-end
devices.

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