•Akubuiro appointed judge
By Damiete Braide
Writers interested in entering for the maiden edition of the Alexander Nderitu Prize for World Literature have up to the 31st of May, 2024, to submit their entries. The submission window opened on May 1, 2024. The overall winner of the competition will receive Kshs 100,000 (USD$ 740.00) cash prize and an online marketing campaign worth another Kshs 100,000; sponsored by IT firm Websoft Interactive.
Organised by TheAfricanGriot.com, the inaugural Alexander Nderitu Prize For World Literature, prize will be awarded to the best unpublished short story from anywhere in the world and is aimed at launching new literary stars.
Being cognizant of the turbulent times we are currently living in, this year’s theme is “Peace”. The contest is open to citizens from all over the globe above 18 years of age. Entries must be previously unpublished and may be written in English or Kiswahili languages.
Terms and conditions include the following: only one entry per person per year. Submissions should be in a Microsoft Word (doc, docx) document. Format: Times New Roman font, 12-point size, double-spaced. The story, minus the title, must be between 3000 and 5000 words. Pages should be numbered.
There is no entry fee and only the title of the story and the word count should appear in the document along with the story. No author-identifying information should be included. Submissions must be via email. Entries should be sent to: [email protected] with the subject: Submission for Alexander Nderitu Prize For World Literature 2024. The cover letter should be pasted in the body of the e-mail. It should include the author’s legal name, age, nationality, one-paragraph bio, and contact details. Shortlisted entrants may be asked to provide photos and further information.
TheAfricanGriot.com reserves permission to publish the stories online. Authors retain copyright over their work. Any submissions received after the deadline will not be read. Simultaneous entries are accepted but inform the organiser if your story is accepted elsewhere during the judging period.
The winner shall be expected to take part in publicity activities, especially online. Any entries that do not meet all conditions of entry will be automatically disqualified. The judges’ decision is final. There is no appeal mechanism. Judges for year’s stellar judging panel include bit not limited to:
Rupasinghe D. Pramudith (Sri Lanka): Laureate of the Golden Aster Prize for Global Literature (2020) for his fiction set in Ukraine, Bayan. Known for his cross-cultural works of fiction. He has been judging the UK’s prestigious Page-turner awards for two consecutive years. CEO of The Asian Group of Literature which includes The Asian Review literary magazine.
Henry Akubuiro (Nigeria): Journalist, Playwright, novelist, short story, and children›s literature author. His creative works include Yamtarawala, the Warrior King (2023); Prodigals in Paradise (2016); Little Wizard of Okokomaiko (winner of ANA/Lantern Books Prize for Children Fiction (2009); Adventures of Bingo and Bomboi (2015) and Vershima and the Missing Cow (2020).
Akubuiro is winner of the 1998 National Essay Competition organised by the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sport and the 1998 BBC World Service Young Reporters’ Competition. He is the runner-up for the ANA Prose Prize (2017) and the Nigeria Media Merit Award Arts and Culture Reporter of the Year (2022). Akubuiro works with Daily Sun, Nigeria.
Alexander Nderitu (Kenya): Poet, novelist, playwright, and critic. Winner of the Business Daily ‹Top 40 Under 40› Kenyan Men Award (2017), IHRAF Human Rights Playwriting Prize (2021), Sahitto International Prizes for Literature Jury Award (2023), and the SEVHAGE-Agema Founders’ Prize for African Criticism (2023).
For inquiries regarding the prize, please, contact: admin(at)theafricangriot.com