About Wasafiri New Writing Prize
Wasafiri has become the UK’s leading magazine for international contemporary writing. Launched in 1984, it is now renowned for publishing some of the world’s most distinguished writers including Chinua Achebe, Kamau Brathwaite, Anita and Kiran Desai, Sam Selvon, Nadine Gordimer, Abdulrazak Gurnah, Ngugi was Thiong’o, Michael Ondaatje, Vikram Seth, Nayantara Sahgal, Gillian Slovo and Ben Okri amongst many others. Wasafiri encourages readers and writers to travel the world via the word. For over three decades, they have created a dynamic platform for mapping new landscapes in contemporary international writing featuring a diverse range of voices from across the UK and beyond. Committed to profiling the ‘best of tomorrow’s writers today’ they simultaneously celebrate those who have become established literary voices, offering a creative space for dialogue and debate.
Type:
Competition/ contest
Field:
Essay
Eligible countries:
All
To be taken in:
UK
Eligibility
The competition is open to any nationality and any age group who has not published a complete book in the category entered.
Prizes
The three winners will be published by Wasafiri and receive a cash prize;They will also be offered the Chapter and Verse or Free Reads mentoring scheme in partnership with The Literary Consultancy (dependent on eligibility).
Terms and Conditions
The word limit is 3000 maximum (or a maximum of 5 poems).Work submitted must not have been previously published (this includes self-publishing and publishing on websites, personal or otherwise) or have won a prize in another competition.Work must be typed, double-spaced, on A4 paper, single-sided only.Do not write your name or provide any other form of identification on your manuscript. All submissions will be considered without the judges knowing the identity of the entrant.Do not enter more than one poem on a single page.Work will only be accepted if accompanied by an official entry form and fee. If you require acknowledgment of receipt, please email wasafiri@qmul.ac.uk when you submit your entry.Manuscripts cannot be altered after submission.All electronic submissions will receive an acknowledgment.The fee is per category: the entrant can submit a maximum of one entry per category – in the Poetry category, one submission can include five poems. The judges’ decision is final. No correspondence or discussion concerning the judges’ decision will be entered into.The copyright will remain with the winning authors. Acceptance of the prize will indicate the author’s agreement to their work being published in Wasafiri and inclusion in a possible anthology of the best work received.Shortlisted entries will be published on the Wasafiri website.Wasafiri reserves the right to edit the winning entries.Failure to meet the conditions of entry will mean that submission is automatically disqualified from the competition.No person may win more than one prize.The competition is not open to members of the Wasafiri Board.Shortlisted authors will be notified by email and will be invited to the prize-giving event (date and venue).A list of shortlisted authors will be published on the Wasafiri website in Autumn 2021.Manuscripts will not be returned.The entry fee is non-refundable.
Application
All entries submitted via the online application form will receive an acknowledgment to confirm receipt. If you require assistance please contact wasafiri@qmul.ac.uk. Begin application here. Deadline: June 15 For more information, visit Wasafiri New Writing Prize.
