Deadline: 31 January 2012
The Caine Prize is open to writers from anywhere in Africa for work published in English. Its focus is on the short story, as reflecting the contemporary development of the African story-telling tradition.
ELIGIBILITY
* Unpublished work is not eligible for the Caine Prize.
* Submissions should be made by publishers only.
* Only one story per author will be considered in any one year.
* We require 6 copies of the work in its originally published version.
* If the work is published in a book or journal, we would like to receive at least one copy of the book / journal and five photocopies; but particularly where several stories are submitted from one anthology we would like if possible to receive six copies of the book / journal itself.
* If the work is published online, we would like to receive six photocopies.
* Only fictional work is eligible.
Please note that works which do not conform to the criteria will not be considered for the prize. Please do not waste your own time and postage by sending in material which is unsuitable. Works not eligible for entry include stories for children, factual writing, plays, biography, works shorter than 3000 words and unpublished work. If you are not sure whether your work is eligible, please email us for advice.
HOW TO ENTER
Publishers should post six hard copies of the story for consideration to:
Nick Elam
The Caine Prize for African Writing
The Menier Gallery
Menier Chocolate Factory
51 Southwark Street
London SE1 1RU
Entries should be accompanied by a letter from the publisher conveying a short CV or brief biography of the writer, and specifying which African country the writer comes from.
FULL RULES
The Prize is awarded to a short story by an African writer published in English, whether in Africa or elsewhere. Indicative length is between 3000 and 10,000 words.
“An African writer” is taken to mean someone who was born in Africa, or who is a national of an African country, or whose parents are African, and whose work has reflected African sensibilities.
There is a cash prize of £10,000 for the winning author and a travel award for each of the short-listed candidates (up to five in all).
For practical reasons, unpublished work and work in other languages is not eligible. Works translated into English from other languages are not be excluded, provided they have been published in translation, and should such a work win, a proportion of the prize would be awarded to the translator.
The award is made in July each year, the deadline for submissions being 31 January. Works received after that date will be put forward to the next year's prize. The short-list is selected from work originally published in the five years preceding the submissions deadline and not previously considered for a Caine Prize. The deadline for the next prize is 31 January 2012; works must have been published between 1 February 2007 and the closing date.
In general it is unwise to delay the submission of entries until shortly before the deadline: postal and delivery hiccups can easily result in material arriving too late. It is far better to submit material a few weeks in advance.
NB: There is no application form. Submissions should be made by publishers, in the form of six original published copies of the work for consideration. If published in a magazine or journal we will accept one original copy plus five photocopies, but would prefer six original copies. These should be sent to the address below.
We are happy to take submissions from internet magazines, but must insist that we receive six hard copies of these, as of other submissions. Also it is important that internet entries be carefully edited: past judges have not viewed favourably entries containing typos and other errors.
The judges will consider only one work per writer in any one year, and only short stories are eligible.
Every effort is made to publicise the work of the short-listed authors through the broadcast as well as the printed media.
Winning and short-listed authors will be invited to participate in writers’ workshops in Africa, London and elsewhere as resources permit.
Contact Information:
For inquiries: info@caineprize.com or jenny@raittorr.co.uk
For submissions: Nick Elam, The Caine Prize for African Writing, The Menier Gallery, Menier Chocolate Factory, 51 Southwark Street, London SE1 1RU
Website: http://www.caineprize.com