We are delighted to inform you that the submission window for the 2022 AKO Caine Prize for African Writing is now open. We warmly encourage you to submit eligible stories via our online portal.
Our submissions window for the 2022 Prize will be open from 6th December 2021 and will close on 31st January 2022 at midnight (GMT). Please keep an eye on our website and social media channels for updates. We advise you to subscribe to our mailing list.
ABOUT THE PRIZE
The AKO Caine Prize for African Writing is an annual short story award. The Prize is awarded for a short story by an African writer published in English, whether they reside in Africa or elsewhere.
The winner is awarded a cash prize of £10,000, and the other four shortlisted writers will receive £500 each.
The 2021 winner was Ethiopia’s Meron Hadero.
ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
- The story must have been published in the five years preceding the submissions deadline. For 2022 eligibility, the judges will only consider work published after 31st January 2017
- Stories less than 3,000 words or exceeding 10,000 words are not eligible for the Prize
- Short stories must be submitted by a publisher – including publishers of physical and digital literary journals or magazines. Self-published and unpublished works are not eligible
- Publishers must obtain consent from the writer(s) before submitting their stories for the Prize
- Stories submitted for the Prize must have been published in English. Translated stories are eligible, provided that an English translation has been published
- Stories that have been previously submitted for the Caine Prize are not eligible
- Genres not eligible for entry include stories for children, factual writing, plays and autobiography/biography
- Submissions must specify which African country the author comes from and the word count
- Publishers are encouraged to submit multiple short stories as long as they do not submit more than one story by the same author
Short stories that do not meet the criteria will not be considered for the prize. If you have any questions or query regarding our eligibility criteria, please contact us here: info@caineprize.com.