THE ISLAND PRIZE
“As African writers, we are often faced with a double dose of challenges. Firstly, getting published within African countries can be incredibly difficult because local publishers are often constrained by finances. Secondly, for many writers getting published overseas is almost impossible because the rest of the world has certain ideas of what an African story should be. Having experienced these challenges first- hand – being told that a novel is ‘too African’ or ‘not African enough’ – I know how important it is that stories from Africa be given a wide variety of platforms so that they can be shared at home and abroad without the need to fit certain moulds. I am proud to be part of The Island Prize for a Debut Novel from Africa. This is one step towards bridging the gap between here and there, us and them. In fact, it is through prizes like these that authors across the continent can gain the confidence to tell stories as they wish. The hope is that, with time, such stories will become appreciated across the globe, without first being labelled as an exception or a surprise.”
Karen Jennings
The Island Prize for a Debut Novel from Africa
Longlist
From the submitted entries, no more than EIGHT authors will be longlisted and invited to submit their full manuscripts.
These manuscripts must be complete and ready to submit. We will not wait for authors to finish manuscripts.
Longlisted authors will be invited to join ajoint Zoom meeting in which general feedback and advice will be given.
Shortlist
From the longlist, a shortlist of THREE will be chosen.
Runners-up
The two runners-up will each receive £200 and will be given an individual Zoom session with detailed feedback.
We will also work closely with them to help them in creating a submission package, giving advice about where to submit to.
Winner
The winner receives £500. The Island Prize is not about money, but rather about assisting the winner in navigating the difficult world of the publishing industry. We will work with thewinner on their manuscript, helping them to get it to a point where we can assist them in approaching agents and publishers.
While we will do our best to help where and how we can, unfortunately the publishing industry is not predictable, and we are therefore unable to guarantee that the winner will be published.
Eligibility
The Island Prize is open to African writers aged 18 and over, regardless of place of residence.
For the purposes of the competition, we define “African writers” as writers born in or having citizenship of any African country.
1. You must not be represented by a literary agent or currently under contract with a publisher. If you receive an offer of representation while your novel is under consideration, you must inform us immediately and withdraw.
2. Non-fiction, poetry, and short story collections, as well as fiction for children are NOT eligible.
3. There is no restriction as to specific genre – anything from literary fiction to crime thriller is welcome.
4. The complete novel should be between 35,000 words and 100,000 words.
5. Entrants must not have previously published a novel; this includes self-published or eBook-only editions. To clarify: authors may have previously published poetry collections, short story collections, and non-fiction, BUT NOT A NOVEL.
6. Authors who are longlisted may be required to give evidence of their eligibility. Personal information will be kept confidential.
7. Pseudonyms may be used, but longlisted authors will be asked to provide their given names. This will be kept confidential.
8. Submissions open on Wednesday 1 st January 2025 and close at midnight CAT on Sunday 16th February 2025.
9. Authors with manuscripts that we would like to see in full will be contacted by 31st March 2025 – though this date might have to be extended slightly, depending on the volume of entries received. Authors must be ready to submit the full manuscript to us within a couple of days of being contacted. We WILL NOT wait for authors to complete unfinished manuscripts, and their names will be removed from the longlist.
10. The shortlisted authors will be announced in the first week of May 2025.
11. The winner will be announced sometime in mid-May 2025.
Please ensure you read the rules carefully before entering the competition.
To enter:
1. Send the following to theisland@hhousebooks.com:
a. The first three chapters or 10,000 words of the novel;
b. A covering statement giving the word count, name and address of the author, the title, and a brief, two-sentence description of the main subjects and themes of the novel;
c. A one-page synopsis setting out the basic story.
2. Format:
a. Entries should be in a simple font, size 12 – Times New Roman, Garamond, Arial, Calibri are all fine.
b. Please ensure entries are double or 1.5 spaced.
c. All entries should be in Word doc or docx.
Please note that the literary quality of 1b and 1c is not taken into account in judging, so please keep them clear and informative.
If you have any queries, do email: contact@hhousebooks.com