How To Win Cash Prizes In Competition For Human Rights Short Story Writers

The African Chapter of the International Human Rights Art Festival (IHRAF) has urged African Short Story Writers to participate in the ongoing African Human Rights Short Story Competition.

In a press statement issued and signed by Wole Adedoyin, President of the International Human Rights Art Festival- African Chapter (IHRAF Africa) called on Short Story writers in Africa to lend their voices on human rights issues in their respective countries.

Parts of the Statement partly read, “African Human Rights Short Story Prize is open to new, emerging and established short story writers. The Prize is open to submissions of work written in English by writers of any nationality or descent.”

“African Human Rights Short Story Prize aims to promote and support the realization of human rights in Africa. To be duly considered, Stories must have Human Rights at heart.”

“The stories can explore any of the following human rights themes: Freedom of Expression, Government Violations, Police Brutality, corruption, forced Eviction, terrorism, Gender Inequality, LGBT Rights, Child Labour, Child Marriage, Domestic Violence, violence and discrimination against women; child abuse; female genital mutilation, ethnic, regional, and religious discrimination, child trafficking etc.”

This year’s prizes will also be awarded in the names of the following African human rights defenders:

STEVE BIKO PRIZE – $100

BANTU STEPHEN BIKO (18 December 1946 – 12 September 1977) was a South African anti-apartheid activist. Ideologically an African nationalist and African socialist, he was at the forefront of a grassroots anti-apartheid campaign known as the Black Consciousness Movement during the late 1960s and 1970s. His ideas were articulated in a series of articles published under the pseudonym Frank Talk. Biko became one of the earliest icons of the movement against apartheid, and is regarded as a political martyr and the “Father of Black Consciousness”. His political legacy remains a matter of contention.

PIUS ADEBOLA ADESANMI PRIZE – $75

PIUS ADEBOLA ADESANMI (27 February 1972 – 10 March 2019) was a Nigerian-born Canadian professor, writer, literary critic, satirist, and columnist. He was the author of Naija No Dey Carry Last, a 2015 collection of satirical essays. Adesanmi died on 10 March 2019, when Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 crashed shortly after take-off.

BINYAVANGA WAINAINA PRIZE – $50

KENNETH BINYAVANGA WAINAINA (18 January 1971 – 21 May 2019) was a Kenyan author, journalist and 2002 winner of the Caine Prize for African Writing. In April 2014, Time magazine included Wainaina in its annual Time 100 as one of the “Most Influential People in the World”

His debut book, a memoir entitled One Day I Will Write About This Place, was published in 2011. In January 2014, in response to a wave of anti-gay laws passed in Africa, Wainaina publicly announced that he was gay, first writing an essay that he described as a “lost chapter” of his 2011 memoir entitled “I am a Homosexual, Mum”, and then tweeting: “I am, for anybody confused or in doubt, a homosexual. Gay, and quite happy.

To participate, read the below guidelines

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

·         Entries must be 1500 words minimum, 5,000 words maximum
·         Entries are welcomed from anywhere in the world, but must concern human rights concerns in Africa
·         Stories must have Human Rights at heart.
·         Only one story per entrant
·         The Story must be a new and original piece of work. The Story must not have been published in any form or awarded previously.
·         Incomplete submissions will not be considered or acknowledged.  
·         All submissions must be written by a single author. 
·         Deadline for submissions is 30^th June, 2022
·         Winners will be announced on the 30th of July 2022
·         Any signs of plagiarism will disqualify the entrant.
·         IHRAF reserves the right to withdraw and reclaim the financial value of the prize if it is discovered that a writer has fabricated any information in their submission. 
·         Organizers’ decision is final

All entrants agree to offer IHRAF first world rights, with the right to publish selected work on its website, as well as in hard-copy book format
·         All entries must be submitted to: [email protected] and also copy [email protected].
·         Entries should be uploaded in a DOC format. The first page should include the Title of the story and the number of words.
·         Title of your mail should be addressed as “AFRICAN HUMAN RIGHTS SHORT STORY PRIZE“
Entrants are advised to send the following information alongside their entries
·         i. Name
·         ii. Age
·         iii. Gender
·         iv. Country
·         v. Address
·          vi. Phone Number
·         vii. Where you heard about the Call for entries
·         viii. Short Profile about yourself.
·         x. Name of school or university if any
·         It is your responsibility to ensure that your submission is eligible for the prize. By entering your work for the Prize you are confirming to us that the work that you are submitting is your own original work, and that you have read and agreed to the Conditions of Entry of the Prize.  
·          We will write to everyone who entered for the Prize and inform them of the outcome of their application once the judging process has concluded. 

African Human Rights Short Story Prize is an initiative of the International Human Rights Art Festival (IHRAF), USA aimed at promoting and supporting the realization of human rights in Africa.

 
For more enquiries contact: Wole Adedoyin +2348072673852 ([email protected])