Atelewo, a platform created to respond to the many challenges and threats facing the preservation and survival of the Yorùbá culture and language, has launched and announced the call for entries for its first-ever Prize for Yoruba literature.
According to a statement by the organizers, the literature prize was launched to address some of the problems facing creative writing in the Yoruba language.
“In line with our goals and objectives, ÀTẸ́LẸWỌ́ has hereby announces the annual ‘ÀTẸ́LẸWỌ́ Prize for Yoruba Literature’.
“The competition is open to previously unpublished writers working in Yorùbá language in all genres, (including poetry, drama and prose).
“The ÀTẸ́LẸWỌ́ Prize for Yoruba Literature is instituted to address some of the problems–committed publishers, distribution, cultivating invested readerships, etc.–that creative writing in Yorùbá faces.
“The ÀTẸ́LẸWỌ́ Prize for Yoruba Literature intends to rejuvenate the more than the century old, vibrant, universally praised, and unquestionably rich Yorùbá literary culture.
“Those interested in submitting for this prize must adhere to the following guidelines:
- The prize is only open to writers who haven’t published a novel, play, or book length collection of poems written in Yorùbá as at the time of this prize. This means that submitted works must not have been previously published anywhere, whether in physical book format, social media platforms or any digital book platform.
- Writers interested in submitting for the prize must be at least of 18 years of age.
- All entries must be properly tone-marked with correct diacritics. See here and here for suggestions of tools and apps to help you.
- Writers are required to send in their manuscripts–minimum of 50,000 words and maximum of 100,000 words– in a Microsoft Word document format ONLY.
- The first page of the submission should contain personal information about the author: Name, Full Address, and Phone Number (WhatsApp).
- All submission must be sent to
atelewo.org@gmail.com with the subject in this format “MANUSCRIPT TITLE_WRITER’S NAME_ATELEWO PRIZE FOR YORUBA LITERATURE”.
PRIZE
- There will be a shortlist of top 5 entries and 1 grand winning entry.
- The top five winners will receive book gifts worth N20,000 each and a deal to publish their works on our digital publishing platform.
- The grand winner receives the prize of N50,000, book gifts and a publishing deal.
The deadline for the submission of entries is November 31, 2020. For more enquires, click here
