Deadline: Dec. 1, 2018.
Awarded annually to an African poet who has not yet published a collection of poetry, The Sillerman First Book Prize for African Poetry gifts USD $1000 and book publication through the University of Nebraska Press to the winner of the prize.
The Sillerman First Book Prize considers electronic submissions only. Hard copy submissions will be recycled unread. Submit your manuscript via the African Poetry Book Fund Submittable Page.
The prize team only accepts “first book” submissions from African writers who have not published a book-length poetry collection including self-published books. An “African writer” is taken to mean someone who was born in Africa, who is a national or resident of an African country, or whose parents are African.
Writers who have edited and published an anthology or a similar collection of other writers’ work remain eligible. Only poetry submissions in English can be considered. Work translated from another language to English is accepted, but a percentage of the prize will be awarded to the translator.
Manuscript Requirements
- Your poetry manuscript should be at least 50 pages long.
- Your name should not appear on the manuscript. All entries will be read anonymously. Please include a cover page listing only the title of the manuscript. Do not include your name, address, telephone number, or email address on the cover letter.
- Include an acknowledgment page listing the publication history of your individual poems. The prize has no required application form.
- You may submit more than one manuscript. The contest has no entry fee.
- Although there aren’t any specific formatting rules, the team suggest that you send your manuscript in Times New Roman or Arial, 12 point font, single-spaced. Also, have only one poem per page, meaning a new poem does not begin on the same page on which another ends.
The African Poetry Book Fund Editorial Board, including Kwame Dawes, Chris Abani, Matthew Shenoda, John Keene, Gabeba Baderoon, and Bernardine Evaristo, will judge the prize.
No past or present paid employees of the University of Nebraska Press or Amalion Press, or current faculty, students, or employees at the University of Nebraska, are eligible for the prizes.
For more details on the Sillerman First Book Prize for African poets please visit the website or email psbookprize@unl.edu.