Enter these free writing competitions Afric2026. Open to writers and poets in Africa and include genres of poetry, short story and essay.
Writing Competitions Africa 2026: The Complete List, Deadlines and Submission Tips
WRITING COMPETITIONS AFRICA 2026—As a poet/writer, having a clear, complete and straightforward guide and list is always essential when entering writing competitions. This reduces the stress and fatigue of searching for potential opportunities online.
This complete list of writing competitions for the year, 2026, contains a complete list of writing competitions available to poets and writers in Africa. The genres of the writing competitions contained in the list include poetry, short story and essay.
Each competition's details include a specialised summary of the competition information, deadlines, entry fee (if there is), and the benefits (cash prizes and rewards). This competition guide and list is made for students, emerging poets and published writers.
Also, the list will be updated frequently to keep up with new opportunities.
Bonus: Follow our WhatsApp channel, Instagram and Facebook pages to have immediate access to the competition updates.
What to Know Before Entering Writing Competitions Africa 2026
Before entering any writing competition UK under this list, there are few things you should know. These are basic guides to help you understand writing competition information, benefits and the rights to your works.
Benefits of Submitting to Writing Competitions Africa 2026
Although the benefits attached to each writing competition often differ, below are some of the common benefits you can expect from each competition.
- Cash Prizes
- Publication
- Scholarships and Mentorship
- Exposure and Credibility
How to Increase Your Chances of Winning a Writing Competition Africa, 2026
To offer you an insider privilege, we published our feature editor's guide and advice to help you increase your chances of winning a writing competition.
List of Available Writing Competitions Africa 2026
This will be updated from time to time following new releases.
Writing Competitions Africa, February 2026
- The Libraro Prize 2026
The Libraro Prize is open to writers of fiction that is written in English. Organized by the literary discovery platform Libraro in partnership with Hachette UK and supported by several UK and international writing organisations, the prize intends to reimagine how authors are discovered by giving readers an active role in championing emerging talent.
Open to: Writers aged 18 or over, worldwide
Benefits: The winning entry will secure a £50,000 package from Libraro and a book deal with Hachette UK. 2x Reader Prizes worth £10,000 each, where readers are incentivised to refer writers and engage with entries.
Deadline: February 16
- Wiley-Silver Prize 2026
The Wiley-Silver Prize was established by the Center for Civil War Research to recognize and encourage new and emerging scholars in the history of the American Civil War.
Open to: A scholar’s first book or monograph in Civil War history published in the previous year.
Benefits: The winners will be awarded the prize of $2000 and an invitation to speak at the University with an additional $500 honorarium. In addition to press releases, the Center also purchases advertising space in the field's two journals, Civil War History and The Journal of the Civil War Era to announce the winning entry.
Deadline: February 20
- The 2026 Caine Prize for African Writing
The 2026 Caine Prize for African Writing is currently open for submission. The writing contest is open to African writers, that is, "someone who is a national of an African country, or who has a parent who is African by birth or nationality."
Open to: African writers.
Benefits: Undisclosed.
Deadline: February 27
- 2026 Edinburgh Short Story Award
2026 Edinburgh Short Story Award is open writers worldwide, published and unpublished, who are over 16 years.
Open to: Worldwide
Benefits: First Prize – £3,000
Second Prize – £500
Third Prize – £250 and more.
Deadline: February 28
- The Nigerian Air Force Chief of the Air Staff Literary Competitions 2026
The Nigerian Air Force Chief of the Air Staff Literary Competitions for NAF Day 2026 is currently open to essay writers, poets and visual artists. Each applicant is expected to submit their works based on the NAF Day official theme "Optimizing Emerging Technologies for Enhanced Air Operations".
Open to: Nigerian writers.
Benefits: 1st position: ₦1,000,000
2nd position: ₦750,000
3rd position: ₦500,000
Deadline: February 28
- The Tom Grass Prize 2026
The Tom Grass Prize is currently open to all writers from all over the world who are over the age of 25 and writing in the English language.
Entrants must not be represented by a Literary Agent and must not have any previous or new book under contract with a mainstream publisher for the duration of the prize.
The word count is between 1,500 and 3,000 words.
The entry can be either fiction or non-fiction and must be a stand-alone piece of prose.
Open to: Worldwide
Benefits: 1st prize: £1,000, Two runners-up prizes: £500 each. All three finalists will be offered a meeting with a Literary Agent.
Deadline: February 28
- Dystopian Fiction Prize 2026
The Dystopian Fiction Prize 2026 is organised by the Orwell Society for current students at British universities. They look for dystopian narratives of 3,000 words, following the dedicated theme, and entry to the competition is free.
Open to: UK students
Benefits: The winner will receive £750 and the winning entry will be published in the Society’s Journal. The runner up will receive a non-cash prize.
Deadline: February 28
- The Diana Woods Memorial Award in Creative Nonfiction 2026
Creative nonfiction authors are invited to submit work of up to 3,500 words on the subject of their choice to be considered for the Diana Woods Memorial Award in creative nonfiction.
Open to: Worldwide
Benefits: Winners will receive $250 and their work will be featured in the next issue of Lunch Ticket. Each award recipient must submit a 100-word biography, current photo, and send a brief note of thanks to the Woods family.
Deadline: Month of February.
Writing Competitions Africa, March 2026
2026 Tejumola Olaniyan Creative Writers-in-Residence Fellowship
The 2026 Tejumola Olaniyan Creative Writers-in-Residence Fellowship is currently open to prospective applicants. The fellowship is organized by the Africa Institute, Global Studies University in honour of Tejumola Olaniyan, a literary critic, to celebrate and support literary voices engaged in the creative expression of Africa and its diaspora in all forms and genres.
The fellowship invites applications from creative writers, including novelists, short story writers, playwrights, poets, and scriptwriters whose work relates to Africa and the African diaspora for a grant of 50,000 AED in total for the duration of the fellowship.
The grant is inclusive of accommodation, a return airfare ticket, visa and the monthly stipend of 10,000 AED per month per fellow.
Benefits: Residency and a grant of 50,000 AED in total for the duration of the fellowship. The grant is inclusive of accommodation, a return airfare ticket, visa and the monthly stipend of 10,000 AED per month per fellow
Deadline: March 1
- The Republic of Letters Short Story Competition 2026
The Republic of Letters Short Story Competition 2026 is currently open for submission. According to the organisers, there will be three winning pieces.
The first winner will receive a $500 cash prize. The piece will be published on The Republic of Letters and read aloud at The Republic of Letters’ launch party.
Open to: Worldwide.
Benefits: $500 cash prize and publication.
Deadline: March 1
- Frontier Poetry Hurt and Healing Prize 2026
The Frontier Poetry Hurt and Healing Prize 2026 is currently open for submission. The organisers invite poets their journeys through the entanglement of pain and restoration. Frontier Poetry seeks poems that explore grief, loss, heartache, and the imperfect path taken to reach the ongoing work of healing.
Whether your poetry is authored in the midst of anguish or written from the other side, they welcome work that is transparent, honest, and poetically resonant. Frontier Poetry welcomes all interpretations of both hurting and healing. They also encourage submissions from poets of all identities, cultures, and backgrounds.
Open to: Worldwide
Benefits: The first-place winner will receive $3,000 and publication. The second- and third-place winners will receive $300 and $200, respectively, along with publication. All finalists will be considered for paid publication in New Voices.
Deadline: March 8
- MairtÃn Crawford Awards for Poetry and Short Story 2026
The MairtÃn Crawford Awards are aimed at writers working towards their first full collection of poetry, short stories, or a novel.
Both published and unpublished writers are invited to submit between 3-5 poems for the poetry award, and a short story of up to 2,500 words for the short story award, with the only stipulation being that they have not yet published a full collection of poetry, short stories, or a novel.
Open to: Worldwide
Benefits: The Winner of each Award will receive a £500 cash Prize. In addition, each Winner can take up time a ‘Time to Write’ package which includes a 3-night stay at a Hotel in Belfast, and 4 days of dedicated writing space in The Crescent. Two Runners Up for each Category will receive a £250 cash prize.
Deadline: March 11
- The London Magazine Poetry Prize 2026
The London Magazine Poetry Prize 2026 is currently open for submission. Established to encourage emerging literary talent, the award provides an opportunity for publication and recognition. While there is no criteria as to theme, form or style, judges are looking for resonant and accomplished work.
Poems must be previously unpublished and no longer than 40 lines. Submissions are open for international entries.
Open to: Worldwide
Benefits: All three prize winners will appear in a print issue of The London Magazine. Prize winners will also receive cash prizes, and will be celebrated at a prize-giving event in the summer.
Deadline: March 13
- The BBC National Short Story Award 2026
Entries are now being accepted for the 2026 BBC National Short Story Awards with Cambridge University. The Award, now in its 21st year, is worth £15,000 and will be given to one writer demonstrating exceptional skill and artistry in the short story form. The Award is for a single story of up to 8,000 words, written by an established author.
Open to: Worldwide
Benefits: $15,000
Deadline: March 16
- The 2026 Quramo Writers' Prize
The 2026 Quramo Writers' Prize is currently open to unpublished Nigerian and other African writers to submit their manuscript.
Open to: African writers.
Benefits: Cash prize, publishing deals among others.
Deadline: March 31
- The Caterpillar Poetry Prize 2026
The Caterpillar Poetry Prize is an annual prize for unpublished poems written by adults for children aged 7-11. Every year since 2015, The Caterpillar Poetry Prize has been awarded to a single poem by a single judge among them John Hegley, Chrissie Gittins, Roger McGough, Michael Morpurgo & Michael Rosen.
Open to: Worldwide
Benefits: 1st prize €1,000 plus a week at The Moth Retreat in Ireland
2nd prize €500
3rd prize €250
The winning poems will be published in the Irish Times online.
Deadline: March 31
- The Nigeria Prize for Literature 2026
Entries are currently invited for the Nigeria Prize for Literature. The yearly literature prize is sponsored by NLNG to honour the author of the best book by a Nigerian. The prize rotates among four literary genres - Prose Fiction, Poetry, Drama and Children’s Literature. This year, the competition is for Poetry.
Open to: Nigerian writers
Benefits: $100,000
Deadline: March 31
Writing Competitions Africa, April 2026
- Wergle Flomp Humor Poetry Contest 2026
The Wergle Flomp Humor Poetry Contest is open freely to poets to submit their best published or unpublished humour poems.
Open to: Worldwide
Benefits: $3,750 in total.
- First Prize: $2,000 plus a two-year gift certificate from Duotrope (a $100 value) and five years of Chill Subs' Best plan (a $1,000 value)
- Second Prize: $500 plus two years of Chill Subs' Best plan (a $400 value)
- Third Prize: $250 plus two years of Chill Subs' Best plan (a $400 value)
- Honorable Mentions: 10 awards of $100 each plus one year of Chill Subs' Best plan (a $200 value)
- Top 13 entries published online
Deadline: April 1
- The Ann Petry Award 2026
The Ann Petry Award is currently open for submission. The award seeks to publish prose literature by Black authors.
The Ann Petry Award is for a work of previously unpublished prose (including self-published works), either a novel or a collection of short stories or novellas, with a minimum of 150 pages, by a Black writer.
Open to: Black writers, Worldwide
Benefits: The Ann Petry Award will consist of $3000 and publication of the awarded manuscript by Red Hen Press
Deadline: April 1
- 2026 Rhina Espaillat Poetry Award
2026 Rhina Espaillat Poetry Award is currently open for submission.
Open to: Worldwide
Benefits: The winning poet will receive a two thousand dollar award and the winning poem will be published in Plough Quarterly.
In addition, two finalists will receive two hundred and fifty dollars as well as publication in Plough.
Deadline: April 30
- Wilbur Smith New Voices Award 2026
The New Voices Award supports writers to develop an idea they've yet to commit to paper, or those in the very early stages of their work in progress. The Award provides mentorship and editorial guidance for aspiring authors and encourages entries from all writers, including those from underrepresented backgrounds with a new story to tell.
New Voices is exclusively for unpublished writers. Writers must not be represented by a literary agent, or be under an existing or future contract to any publisher. The work submitted must not have been previously self-published, or have been published in full or in part through any publisher or other media.
Open to: Worldwide
Benefits: Check more details
Deadline: April 30
- New Writers 100-Word Writing Competition 2026
The writing competition is now open to writers from around the world for poems or short-short stories of up to 100 words.
Open to: Worldwide
Benefits: They are offering an increased total prize pot of £1,400, with a top prize of £1,000 for the writer of the winning entry. The winning entry and the four runners-up will be published on the NewWriters.org.uk website and in the New Writers Anthology.
Deadline: April 30
Writing Competitions Africa, May 2026
- Tom Howard/John H. Reid Fiction & Essay Contest 2026
The Tom Howard/John H. Reid Fiction & Essay Contest 2026 is currently open for submission. The contest awards $12,000 in prizes.
Open to: Worldwide
Benefits: STORY: First Prize, $3,500. ESSAY: First Prize, $3,500
The top two winners will also receive two-year gift certificates from our co-sponsor, Duotrope (a $100 value)
10 Honorable Mentions will receive $500 each (any category)
Top 12 entries published online
Deadline: May 1
- The Montreal International Poetry Prize
The Montreal International Poetry Prize is awarded to original works of poetry. A cash prize of $20,000 CAD will be awarded to a poet for a single poem of forty or fewer lines.
Open to: Worldwide
Benefits: $20,000 CAD
Deadline: May 15
- Bridport Prize for Poetry, Short Story and Flash Fiction 2026
Bridport Prize 2026 is currently open for submission. The prizes are awarded to poets, short story and flash fiction writers.
Open to: Worldwide
Benefits: First prize: £5,000, Second prize: £1,000, Third prize: £500 and publication.
Deadline: May 31
- The Bath Novel Award 2026
The Bath Novel Award 2026 is a £5,000 international prize for adult and YA novels of every genre. The prize is open to unagented writers, who are unpublished, self-published or independently published without advance.
Writers of every age, gender, nationality and residency are invited.
Open to: Worldwide
Benefits: $5,000
Deadline: May 31
Writing Competitions Africa, June 2026
- 2026 Queen Mary Wasafiri New Writing Prize
The 2026 Queen Mary Wasafiri New Writing Prize is currently open for submission. Writers of any age, gender, nationality or background who have not published book-length works are invited to submit their works in contest for a cash prize of £1,000 in each category. The winners will also have a print publication in Wasafiri. If a work in translation wins, the cash prize will be split equally between the author and translator.
All winners and shortlisted writers will be offered the Chapter and Verse or Free Reads mentoring scheme in partnership with The Literary Consultancy (dependent on eligibility), as well as a one-year print subscription to Wasafiri.
Open to: Worldwide.
Benefits: £1,000 cash prize in each category.
Deadline: June 30
%20(1).jpeg)
.png)
%20(3).jpeg)
COMMENTS