Now at your doorstep is the biggest and innovative platform for writers to express themselves in bold narratives in an expanded frontier never before known in prose, especially the short story format. There is a need to expand the literary space to accommodate everyone with a noble idea to share with humanity. But often, the chances and choices are few, too few, especially for writers to share from their ever fertile imagination that is ready to extend the boundary of culture and society with a view to enriching them.
Literary Star Search, as an affiliate company of Creative Alliance Nigeria Limited (Creative Alliance for short), is committed to broadening the literary landscape to accommodate more conversation with and interrogation of culture and society. With values believed to be going down the wrong way, it’s only literature and its literary men and women that can halt the slide through reinventing social order by bringing the past to bear on the future at the junction of the present in a seamless manner so as to preserve the health of humanity.
So, out there are stars yet undiscovered, who, nonetheless, have so much to say to humanity to enoble society and culture. The rest of us dare not ignore them. They need to be searched out, evaluated and rewarded, and their messages to society harnessed, like those gone before them – Wole Soyinka, Chinua Achebe, J.P. Clark, Gabriel Okara, Buchi Emecheta, Flora Nwapa, Ben Okri, Sefi Atta, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Wale Okediran, Femi Osofisan, Ben Okri, Biyi Bandele, Helon Habila, Chika Unigwe, and so on - to revitalise society and instil in it wholesome values to sustain it to the next generation and beyond.
It is the belief of Liteary Star Search that hidden stars abound in the literary landscape, but they remain hidden, and may remain hidden if something drastic is not done.
So that while stars are being made and hugely rewarded in virtually other areas of society - beauty pageantry, music, movies, reality shows and dance (all considered probably fairly less enobling and so of little value to society’s wellbeing; indeed, the orientation of music and movies towards overt sexual displays have corrupted society more than can be quantified), writers, especially literary writers, are largely left in the cold, and made to watch from the sidelines. Yet, writing is one area where worldbeaters have been made in our midst, men and women, who have put us on the world map as part of the world’s cultural citizens.
Indeed, literary art or literature is the most accomplished of Nigerian arts and culture sector. Sadly, it is the least hyped and least valued in its cultural re-orientation of the citizenry and society generally. Of course, those who practice it (or write it) equally suffer the worse form of obscurity; they are least known and celebrated, whereas those in the faddish areas of the arts take centre-stage as heroes or celebrities, even if dubious nature!
The mantra of a literary prize
While there is abundance of potential star writers, there is little opportunity for them to rise and shine! Reward for them is still criminally low; they are just too few prizes on the local scene for those with something important to say. Inability to throw up star writers and truly celebrate them has created the absence of writers as models for society, especially for the young, impressionable members of society to follow.
This has the multiplier effect of alienating young ones from reading what writers produce as a disconnect between the two has become so obvious. The connection between writers and literacy cannot be hard to imagine; that there is a lack of a reading habit in the populace, especially of literary materials, therefore, becomes logical in the sense that writers have not been made a centrality of our consciousness; they simply are the heroes young ones want to emulate to deepen society’s core values.
To address these areas, icons in the field of literary creativity have to be made, particularly young icons – the way it is in dance, music, movies, dance, pageantry and reality shows. These icons will lure young readers back to the literary space and books, especially when they see in the youthful icons that are made a mirror image of themselves. These creative stars will then fire their aspirations because they are the ones young people want to emulate.
This is the purpose Liteary Star Search. It will serve to throw up star writers, reward them with grand price.
How to Apply
WRITE Yourself to FAME & FORTUNE!!! in the Liteary Star Search contest for Nigeria’s star writers in the SHORT STORY category (not more than 3,500 words long) in the One Million Naira Grand Prize, with N300,000 and N200,000 respectively for the second and third best places. The best 25 stories will be published in a collection and entered for competition worldwide, including the Caine & Commonwealth Short Story Prizes
To apply, write not more than a 3,500 word short story (double space typing) and enclose with Three Thousand naira (N3,000) Entry Fee in bank draft obtainable from any Zenith International Bank Plc branch nationwide, and payable (addressed) to Creative Alliance. Deliver by hand or courier service, addressed to:
Creative Alliance Nigeria Limited
(Literary Star Search)
1, Oladosu Street, Off Toyin Street, Ikeja, Lagos
or mail through any NIPOST office nationwide to:
Creative Alliance
(Literary Star Search)
PO Box 2442 Ikeja, Lagos.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
For inquiries: Call 08091310392
For submissions: Creative Alliance Nigeria Limited. (Literary Star Search), 1, Oladosu Street, Off Toyin Street, Ikeja, Lagos
Website: http://www.creativeallianceng.com