The African Poetry Book Fund, in partnership with Prairie Schooner and the University of Nebraska, promotes and advances the development and publication of the poetic arts through its book series, contests, workshops, and seminars and through its collaborations with publishers, festivals, booking agents, colleges, universities, conferences and all other entities that share an interest in the poetic arts of Africa.
We publish between three and five poetry books each year, including the winner of the Sillerman First Book Prize for African Poets, a chapbook box set of emerging African poets, and our New and Selected series.
Luschei Prize for African Poetry
The Luschei Prize for African Poetry is a post-publication award of US $1,000 to a book of poetry published by an African author.
An African writer is someone who was born in Africa, who is a national or resident of an African country, or whose parents are African.
We do not accept submissions electronically. Please visit our website for more information on how to submit.
Sillerman First Book Prize for African Poets
The Sillerman First Book Prize for African Poets awards USD $1,000 and publication by the University of Nebraska Press.
We accept electronic submissions of full-length manuscripts of poetry to the Sillerman First Book Prize for African Poets annually between September 15 and December 1.
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.
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.
No entry fee is required to submit to the contest.
Evaristo African Poetry Prize (formerly the Brunel International African Poetry Prize)
The Evaristo African Poetry Prize awards USD $1,500 to ten poems.
We accept electronic submissions to the Evaristo African Poetry Prize annually between October 1 and November 1.
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.
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.
No entry fee is required to submit to the contest.
General Submissions
We accept electronic unsolicited full-length poetry manuscript submissions from published and unpublished African poets during our open submissions periods. For submission guidelines, please visit: https://africanpoetrybf.unl.edu/publish-with-apbf/
To keep track of APBF calls for manuscript submission, please sign up for our newsletter here: https://bit.ly/35k9BNo
The Evaristo Prize for African Poetry is an annual prize of USD $1,500 awarded to ten poems written by an African poet.
Established first as the Brunel International African Poetry Prize (BIAPP) in 2012 by British writer Bernardine Evaristo, who founded and managed the prize for ten years, the Evaristo Prize was renamed and passed on to be managed by the African Poetry Book Fund in 2022. A close partner of APBF, the BIAPP sought to “encourage a new generation of poets who might one day become an international presence.” Indeed, the excellence of BIAPP winners continues to be celebrated globally as many of the poets have gone to publish chapbooks, full-length poetry collections, and win more prizes. The BIAPP announced their final winner in May 2022.
President of the UK’s Royal Society of Literature and a celebrated writer, Bernardine Evaristo is an APBF Editorial Board Member; Professor of Creative Writing at Brunel University London; and the author of ten books of fiction, poetry, essays, drama, criticism, and journalism.
ELIGIBILITY
The Prize is open to African writers. 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.
The prize is open to African poets who have not yet had a full-length poetry book published at the time of submission. Self-published poetry books, chapbooks, and pamphlets are exempt from this stipulation.
Only poems written in English can be considered, but we welcome poems in translation for consideration too. In the case that the winning work is translated, a percentage of the prize money would be awarded to the translator.
No past or present paid employees of the University of Nebraska Press, Akashic Books, or Amalion Press, or current faculty, students, or employees at the University of Nebraska are eligible for the prizes.
African poets who have published a chapbook in a New-Generation African Poets Chapbooks Box Set series remain eligible for the Evaristo African Poetry Prize if they have not published a full-length book of poems.
WHEN TO SEND
Manuscripts of 10 poems, no more and no less, will be accepted annually between October 1st and November 1st via Submittable.
Please do not send any submissions via email. We do not have the capacity to track submissions by email and any manuscripts received as such will not be considered.
MANUSCRIPT
Poems must be the original work of the entrant and be no longer than 40 lines each.
Poems may have been previously published or won previous awards.
People who have entered previously for the prize can re-submit but are advised to share new poems.
While we have no specific formatting rules, we suggest sending your manuscript in Times New Roman or Arial, 12-point font, single-spaced. We also prefer one poem per page, meaning a new poem does not begin on the same page on which another ends. The entire submission must be in black ink, no colors.
Poems must be submitted in a single document without any identifying information included within the manuscript or in the file name.
Alterations cannot be made to poems once entered. The Submittable cover letter, which will be concealed to screeners and judges, should include the entrants’ name, nationality, country of birth, full address including country of permanent residence, personal email address and telephone number.
JUDGING
In 2024-2025, the judging panel includes Tsitsi Jaji, Tjawangwa Dema, and Mahtem Shiferraw.
To ensure confidentiality and fairness, all submissions to the Evaristo Prize are handled by our Book Prize Coordinator, Nicole Lachat. Please direct questions regarding submissions to her attention at psbookprize@unl.edu.
In partnership with Prairie Schooner and the University of Nebraska Press, we are pleased to receive submissions to the Sillerman First Book Prize for African Poets.
Sillerman First Book Prize for African Poets
The 2024 submission period for the Sillerman First Book Prize will open September 15 and remain open through December 1, 2024. We consider electronic submissions only; any hard copy submissions will be recycled unread.
The Prize:
The Sillerman First Book Prize for African Poetry is awarded annually to an African poet who has not yet published a collection of poetry. The winner receives USD $1000 and book publication through the University of Nebraska Press and Amalion Press in Senegal.
The Sillerman judging panel includes Kwame Dawes, Chris Abani, Matthew Shenoda, John Keene, Gabeba Baderoon, Phillippaa yaa de Villiers, Aracelis Girmay, and Mahtem Shiferraw.
A winner will be announced in June.
Eligibility:
The Sillerman First Book Prize for African Poets will only accept “first book” submissions from African writers who have not published a book-length poetry collection. This includes self-published books if they were sold online, in stores, or at readings. Writers who have edited and published an anthology or a similar collection of other writers’ work remain eligible.
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.
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.
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.
Manuscript:
No entry fee is required to submit to the contest.
Poetry manuscripts should be at least 50 pages long.
The author’s 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 (not the author’s name, address, telephone number, or email address). An acknowledgements page listing the publication history of individual poems may be included, if desired. No application forms are necessary. Eligible writers may submit more than one manuscript.
While we have no specific formatting rules, we suggest sending your manuscript in Times New Roman or Arial, 12 point font, single-spaced. We also prefer one poem per page, meaning a new poem does not begin on the same page on which another ends.
For more details on the Sillerman First Book Prize for African poets please visit our website here: https://africanpoetrybf.unl.edu/contest-prizes/sillerman-prize-for-african-poetry-winners/?csrt=15729064727336834555 or email psbookprize@unl.edu.
Looking for info about the Prairie Schooner Book Prize Series?
The 2025 Book Prize submission period is January 15 through March 15, 2025. Check back in January, or visit our website here: http://prairieschooner.unl.edu/book-prize for more info.
The APBF is a small nonprofit organization run almost entirely by volunteers and funded by individual donations and grants. This allows us to focus on our unique vision to publish and promote African poetry. To maintain the accessibility of our prizes and submission periods to poets across the globe, the APBF does not charge reading fees. All these things mean that we rely on the generosity of our community—every donation supports African poets and makes our work possible.
Donations to the APBF support a range of visionary projects, including poetry prizes, publications, local poetry libraries, and more.
Recurring gifts help us sustain the long-term continuity of our projects and ensure we can keep celebrating the transformative global voices that speak to you. If you would like to make a recurring gift, please visit this link.
Thank you for your support!