GRAYWOLF PRESS AFRICA PRIZE
We are pleased to announce the Graywolf Press Africa Prize, to be awarded for a first novel manuscript by an African author primarily residing in Africa. The prize will be judged by A. Igoni Barrett, author of the acclaimed novel Blackass, in conjunction with the Graywolf editors. The winning manuscript will receive a $12,000 advance and publication by Graywolf Press, which will include a dedicated effort to making the book available in major markets in African countries.
Graywolf Press is always looking for work that is distinctive, artistically singular, and of a high literary quality. For this prize, we are seeking novels that are engaged with the current moment—stories that could only be told in our time. We are excited by the wealth of talented and imaginative writers coming from a wide range of African countries and look forward to encountering authors who approach contemporary issues with innovative prose and fresh perspectives. With this prize we hope to amplify the voice of a new author, whose novel will be published alongside exemplary African writers on the Graywolf list such as Tsitsi Dangarembga (This Mournable Body, forthcoming 2018), Binyavanga Wainaina (One Day I Will Write About This Place, 2012), Nuruddin Farah (Sweet and Sour Milk, 2006), Anouar Benmalek (The Lovers of Algeria, 2004), and this year’s judge, A. Igoni Barrett (Love Is Power, or Something Like That, 2013, and Blackass, 2016).
Eligibility and Procedure: All submissions must be full-length, previously unpublished novel mansucripts. Submissions must be in English, but translations are acceptable. Applicants with prior books are eligible, so long as none of those books is a novel. Only electronic submissions will be considered, and we will be accepting submissions through our page on Submittable. Please follow these formatting guidelines: a PDF or Word file (.doc and .docx), twelve-point font, double-spaced text, numbered pages. If you have questions or difficulty using the site, please email submissions@graywolfpress.org for assistance.
Timeline: We will be accepting submissions from October 1 – October 31, 2017 only. The submission period will close at 12:00 a.m. midnight (CST) on October 31, 2017.
Notification: All submissions will receive an email response after the winner has been chosen. We cannot answer any queries about the status of manuscripts.
The winner will be notified directly, and public announcement of the winner will be made on our website. All decisions are final, and neither the judge nor Graywolf staff can comment on individual submissions.