November 3, 2024

The second edition of the Hamwe Short Story Prize is officially open for submissions and the best stories will be published in the second edition of the annual Hamwe anthology in November 2023. This is a project by The University of Global Health Equity (UGHE) and African writers are invited to submit short fiction inspired by the ideas of memory, cultural heritage and mental health. The information below is directly from the UGHE website so if you feel like you’re eligible, get your application in!

UGHE is seeking stories that speak creatively to these ideas:

How and where is memory located and constructed, and by who? What is the relationship between archival materials, cultural heritage, and storytelling? Where is history created or lost, individually, and collectively? And what is the relationship between cultural heritage and mental health?

Eligibility Criteria:

The prize is open to African writers based on the continent or from the diaspora and this competition is only open to writers aged 18 and above, therefore participants must be of legal age in their country of residence.

Submission Guidelines:

Stories can be submitted in either English or French (although other languages can form part of the dialogue and text if it serves the story), and all entries must be submitted no later than September 25, 2022, at 11:59 pm CAT. Submissions after the deadline will not be considered. Stories should be between 2000 and 5000 words, attached as a Word document in addition to the filled-in application form. An incomplete application form or a form filled with inaccurate information can be a cause of disqualification.

Plagiarism clause:

The entry must be original work by the entrant, in English or French. Plagiarism, which includes the use of third-party characters or another person’s universe, without written permission, will result in disqualification. Entries should not have been previously published and simultaneous submissions are also not encouraged. Any story entered or published elsewhere during the course of judging or publication will be disqualified. By submitting to the competition, the entrants agree that if selected by the jury their submitted work will be published in the Hamwe Festival Anthology (if it passes the editor selection); and to work with editors on preparing their story for publication. Published authors will receive an honorarium.

If you have any queries regarding the above information, please contact UGHE via email at hamweshortstoryprize@ughe.org

Prize:

The winners of the Hamwe Writing Contest will be announced at an event as part of the Hamwe Festival in November 2022, where one winner will be selected for each language (English and French), and each will receive a prize (VAT inclusive) of 1000 USD.

For the application form, click the link below:
https://ughe.org/hamwe-short-story-prize-second-edition

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