The Miles Morland Foundation Announces Shortlist

The Miles Morland Foundation is delighted to announce the shortlist for the 2015 Morland Writing Scholarships. Of the twenty one shortlisted applicants below, seven are from South Africa, six from Nigeria, three from Ghana, two from Uganda, and one each from Zimbabwe, Egypt and Sudan.

“This year we had 345 entries. This was fewer than last year but I felt the overall standard was higher. Now that the Scholarships are better known we are attracting some of the best African writers. Some of the entries left me almost breathless. I am confident our four Scholarships will yield four outstanding books. Our only disappointment is not to see greater geographical variety in the list,” said Michela Wrong, Literary Director of the Foundation.

• Fatin Abbas (Sudan)
• Ayobami Adebayo (Nigeria)
• Ayesha Harruna Attah (Ghana)
• Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond (Ghana)
• Kurt Ellis (South Africa)
• Akwaeke Emezi (Nigeria)
• Amy Heydenrych (South Africa)
• Mishka Hoosen (South Africa)
• Karen Jennings (South Africa)
• Beatrice Lamwaka (Uganda)
• Kopano Mabaso (South Africa)
• Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi (Uganda)
• Kagiso Lesego Molope (South Africa)
• Cheryl Ntumy (Ghana)
• Bolaji Odofin (Nigeria)
• Mary Ononokpono (Nigeria)
• Ladi Opaluwa (Nigeria)
• Megan Ross (South Africa)
• Noo Saro – Wiwa (Nigeria)
• Wiam El-Tamami (Egypt)
• Blessing – Miles Tendi (Zimbabwe)

Judges (Ellah Allfrey, Olufemi Terry and Muthoni Garland) will meet on Dec. 14 to discuss the shortlisted applications, chaired by Ellah Allfrey. The four winners will be announced shortly after this.

The  Miles Morland Foundation scholarships offers writers of fiction and non-fiction the financial freedom they need to write. Scholars writing fiction will receive a grant of £18,000, paid over the course of twelve months. Scholars writing non-fiction will receive a grant of £27,000, paid over the course of eighteen months.