SEVHAGE Literary and Development Initiative and SEVHAGE Publishers invite submissions for the 2024 Sevhage Literary Prizes. With a total prize pool exceeding ₦1,600,000, writers worldwide can compete in three categories:
- THE EUGENIA ABU/SEVHAGE INTERNATIONAL PRIZE FOR CREATIVE NON-FICTION 2024 (₦750,000.00) [Open to All Writers Worldwide]
Calling on biographers, non-fiction writers, columnists, travel writers, food writers and general creative practitioners from around the world, submit your Creative Non-Fiction piece of 500-2000 words on any theme. This prize looks to encourage exploration into the non-fiction genre among writers, while celebrating Mrs Eugenia Abu, one of Nigeria’s cherished and recognisable journalists and writers. Like the ALINEA Prize, a sister prize, this prize looks “for work that reaches beyond truth. We want to hear what you have to say in the best way you can say it.” The prize is worth Seven Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira and is open to anyone worldwide. For guidelines on this prize, please click on this link. This prize is in partnership with the ALINEA Initiative, with support from Dr Victor Oladokun, Senior Advisor to the President for Communication and Stakeholder Engagement, African Development Bank Group, and some anonymous patrons. Entries for this prize will only be accepted via the submission form available at https://rb.gy/5xi18c
- THE K & L PRIZE FOR FICTION 2024 (Worth ₦600,000.00 + Publication) [Open to Africans Everywhere]
With a star prize of Five Hundred Thousand Naira and twenty thousand naira for shortlisted entries, this SEVHAGE Short Fiction Prize is for a work of short fiction (800-2000 words) that focuses on mental health and reduces stigma, while encouraging positive stories to promote well-being. For guidelines on this prize, please click on this link. This prize money is majorly in part, courtesy of an endowment by Dr Myles Idoko Ojabo. Entries for this prize will only be accepted via the submission form available at https://rb.gy/y1uxjt
- The E. E. SULE/SEVHAGE PRIZE FOR AFRICAN LITERARY CRITICISM 2024 (₦285,000) [Open to Africans Everywhere]
This award for critical writing is named in honour of Nigeria’s prominent scholar and literary critic, Professor Sule Emmanuel Egya (a.k.a E. E. Sule), an outstanding writer, whose lifelong works in criticism are visionary and inspiring. Entrants are expected to submit a 4500-6000 worded well-researched essay on African literature and/or African literary theory which focuses on a specific contemporary text or area of literature. For guidelines on entry for this prize, please visit this link. Entries for this prize will only be accepted via the submission form available at https://rb.gy/6d1k1y
GENERAL RULES
- Entries will only be accepted via the respective forms for each of the categories.
- All entries should be sent in a single Microsoft Word document. (format: Times New Roman font, single line spacing, font 12).
- Do not include your name in the attached document. Any entry that violates this guideline will be automatically disqualified.
- You can only make one entry, which cannot be resubmitted or changed. So, make all changes before you submit. Be sure before you submit.
- For emphasis, no mention or reference to the author or the author’s personal details should be made in the attached piece or it will be disqualified.
- Shortlisted writers might be required to produce evidence of country of origin.
- The judges’ decisions are final and not open to debate.
- Shortlisted writers will be contacted by October/November.
- We will be publishing the shortlisted entries for this competition before the announcement of the award. Therefore, only those who are okay with having their works published should enter for the award.
- Winners will be announced latest December 2024.
- Deadline for submission of all entries is 29th August 2024.
The SEVHAGE Literary Prizes are a series of annual literary and art awards organized by the SEVHAGE Literary and Development Initiative and SEVHAGE Publishers (a branch of SEVHAGE Integrated Services Ltd) in collaboration with various partners. They are open to Africans and other writers globally. Since its inception in its current form in 2019, the Prizes aim to recognize and celebrate the outstanding contributions of creatives across various categories, including poetry, prose, spoken word, drama, dance, and general writing.
According to Su’ur Su’eddie Vershima Agema, a multiple award-winning writer and President of SEVHAGE, “In addition to these prizes, components of some selected works will form part of an exhibition in Nottingham, England, as part of the SEVHAGE Festival. The aim is to recognise and celebrate the outstanding contributions of creatives across various genres, to enhance their visibility and inspire others to grow in their craft, knowing it is worthwhile. We hope that the top entries, which will be published, will also leave readers inspired and light up someone’s day somewhere, especially in these dark times.”
Professor Hyginus Ekwuazi, multiple award-winning multi-genre writer, scholar, Professor of Broadcast Media and former Vice Chancellor of the Dominican University Ibadan, will serve as the Chief Judge for this year’s prizes, ensuring the selection of the highest-quality entries.
For more information or to submit your entry, please visit www.sevhage.com/prizes. For more updates and information, follow @SEVHAGE on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, and Instagram or send an email to sevhageprizes@gmail.com.
