The Caine Prize Award for African Writing is a yearly literary award that recognizes outstanding short stories written by African authors. This prestigious award is named in honor of the late Sir Michael Caine, who served as the Chairman of Booker plc and played a pivotal role in the ‘Africa 95’ arts festival in Europe and Africa in 1995. Sir Michael Caine also chaired the Booker Prize management committee for almost 25 years. Following his passing, friends and colleagues came together to establish the Caine Prize, endowing it with a £10,000 prize to be bestowed annually in his memory.
The Caine Prize for African Writing stands as a prominent literary accolade awarded annually to recognize exceptional short stories crafted by African writers. The prize holds its name in honor of the late Sir Michael Caine, a distinguished figure who served as the Chairman of Booker plc. Sir Michael Caine’s significant contributions extended to his role as the Chairman of the ‘Africa 95’ arts festival in both Europe and Africa in 1995, and for nearly a quarter of a century, he chaired the Booker Prize management committee. In commemoration of his legacy, friends and colleagues decided to establish the Caine Prize, endowing it with a substantial £10,000 award to be granted each year in his memory.
The Caine Prize operates as a vital platform for celebrating and showcasing the literary talents of African writers, offering a unique space for short stories that capture the richness and diversity of the continent’s narrative voices. The award aims to amplify the visibility of African literature on a global scale and foster a deeper appreciation for the nuanced storytelling that emerges from the African literary landscape.
Each year, the prize draws submissions from a wealth of talented writers across the African continent, providing a significant opportunity for emerging voices to be acknowledged and celebrated. The judging process involves a careful evaluation by a panel of literary experts and professionals, ensuring that the winning entry embodies the essence of literary excellence and originality.
By continuing to highlight outstanding African writing through the Caine Prize, the literary community is enriched, and African voices are given a resonant platform, contributing to the broader conversation within global literature.
Benefits
- The winner and shortlisted writers will be invited to participate in events in Africa, London and elsewhere should resources and circumstances permit. In these cases, there will be travel award granted to each of the shortlisted candidates.
Eligibility Criteria For The Caine Prize Award for African Writing:
- The story must have been published in the five years preceding the submissions deadline. For 2024 eligibility, the judges will only consider work published between 1st April 2019 and 25th March 2024.
- Entries must be more than 3,000 words or less than 10,000 words.
- Entries must be submitted by a publisher. This includes publishers of physical and digital books, literary journals, magazines, and arts oriented websites.
- Writers must be over 18 years of age at the time of submission.
- Self-published and unpublished short stories are not eligible.
- Publishers are encouraged to submit multiple short stories as long as they do not submit more than one story by the same author.
- Stories may only be entered for consideration for The Caine Prize for African Writing once. Unfortunately, this means that you may not re-submit a story for consideration, even if it was not selected for the shortlist.
- Genres not eligible for entry include: novels, children’s stories, factual writing, academic essays, plays, poetry, autobiography/biography, and any work that does not constitute a fictional short story.
- Submissions must specify which African country the author comes from and the short story word count.
- Publishers are required to upload a ‘publisher’s letter’ with each submission. See below for more information:
- What should the publisher’s letter include? Publishers are required to provide:
- Name of the writer(s).
- Title of the story or stories being submitted.
- Word count of each submitted story.
- The qualifying nationality of the writer(s).
- The date of publication of the story or stories.
- Confirmation of consent from the writer(s) whose stories are being submitted for the Prize.
- What should the publisher’s letter include? Publishers are required to provide:
- Each story must be submitted by the publisher via email (submissions@caineprize.com) as a PDF attachment or via a link to the story (if it has been published online).
- Please ensure ‘The Caine Prize for African Writing Entry for 2024’ appears in the subject matter of your email.
Submissions that do not meet the above criterias will not be eligible for the prize. If you have any questions or query regarding our eligibility criteria, please email: info@caineprize.com we will be happy to assist!
Application Deadline: March 31st, 2024.
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