Golden Baobab Prize for Literature 2014 call for submissions

The children’s literature prize for Africa known as the Golden Baobab Awards 2014 are calling for your work.

The Golden Baobab Awards for Literature were established in 2008 as annual pan-African awards to recognize and celebrate excellence in stories targeting African children. Founded by Deborah Ahenkorah the awards the awards are the Golden Baobab Prize for Picture Book, the Golden Baobab Prize for Early Chapter Book, and the Golden Baobab Prize for Rising Writers.

The Golden Baobab Prize for Picture Book : This prize is awarded annually to the most captivating unpublished African manuscript for a picture book targeting readers aged 6 – 8 years old. Submissions should be between 700 and 2,000 words in length. The Golden Baobab Prize package includes an award of $5,000 (USD), the opportunity to publish with and receive royalties from Golden Baobab and/or Golden Baobab’s top tier African and international publishing partners, the benefit of increased publicity that comes with being named a Golden Baobab Prize winner, and the opportunity to attend a Golden Baobab award ceremony.

Golden Baobab Prize for Early Chapter Books: This prize is awarded annually to the most captivating unpublished African manuscript for an early chapter book targeting readers aged 9 -11 years old. Submissions should be between 5,000 and 10,000 words. The Golden Baobab Prize package includes an award of $5,000 (USD), the opportunity to publish with and receive royalties from Golden Baobab and/or Golden Baobab’s top tier African and international publishing partners.

Golden Baobab Prize for Rising Writers

This prize is awarded annually to a young African author under the age of 18 who demonstrates the talent and drive to become the next great African author for children. Entrants must submit a Rising Writer Personal Profile and an unpublished story that meets the Early Chapter Book Prize requirements (5,000 – 10,000 words intended for readers from ages 9-11 years). In addition to these, entrants who wish to do so may submit 4 more stories. These additional stories can meet either the Picture Book Prize requirements or the Early Chapter Book Prize requirements. It is not compulsory to submit additional stories but they may strengthen an entrant’s candidacy. Please note that entrants below age 18 who submit stories but do not submit a Rising Writer Personal Profile will only be considered for the individual book prize category in which their submissions fall, and will not be considered for the Rising Writer Prize. The winner of this prize will receive $2,500 (USD), the benefit of increased publicity that comes with being named a Golden Baobab Prize winner and mentorship opportunities.

For those who wish to take part the submission deadline for this years awards is Sunday, June 29, 2014.

For more information on the awards please visit the Golden Baobab official website.