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 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!
CALL FOR PROPOSALS
African Poetry Digital Portal Project: African Poetry Digital Humanities Grants
Deadline: June 16, 2023
The African Poetry Digital Portal Project funded by a grant from the Andrew Mellon Foundation invites proposals from scholars and researchers for the African Poetry Digital Humanities Grant. These grants support Digital Humanities research in African Poetry. Applicants are encouraged to make use of the resources of the Portal, and in so doing expand the impact of the Portal in the broader community of African Digital Humanities Scholarship. Given the multifaceted nature of African poetry in terms of regional variance, performative elements, archival and textual complexity and range, and the work of African poetry within the fabric of contemporary and historical societies, proposals should take advantage of the range of possibilities afforded to a scholar in the field of Digital Humanities. To be considered, projects must use digital research methods or encompass scholarship that applies computing technologies in humanistic inquiry. Most importantly, African Poetry must be at the center of the research.
The APDP Project
The African Poetry Digital Portal documents the work of African poets and provides equitable digital access to the related creative and intellectual artifacts, materials and research on the subject of African Poetry, housed in academic and cultural institutions in Africa and its Diaspora, to, among other things, create accessible ways to engender an informed, culturally diverse, civically engaged and responsible society.
Award Amount: $15,000
Schedule
Grant period: September 2023-September 2024 academic year
Application opens: May 15, 2023
Application deadline: June 16, 2023
Expected notification date: July 10, 2023
Project Start date: September 2023
Project End Date: September 2024
Review Process:
Applications will be reviewed by scholars in African Poetry and researchers in Digital Humanities. Projects will be judged on their contribution to digital humanities scholarship in African Poetry.
Application Requirements:
- Project proposal: a description of the proposed research plan consisting of the following (should not exceed 3 pages):
- Abstract (300 words maximum)
- Project Narrative: The narrative should describe the guiding premises of the project clearly, provide a clear overview of the project’s structure (components, personnel, tasks), and describe in concrete terms what the project hopes to accomplish by the end of the 12-month period. Include:
- The nature of the project
- The area of African Poetry being explored
- The research question and approach
- Technological requirements: include and specific equipment, software, server time, or hosting (NOTE: Personal computer purchases are not permitted)
- A detailed timeline including key dates and milestones
- A detailed budget (1 page maximum) including clear explanations for each item and a justification of their importance to the project.
- CV from the primary researcher. Include relevant examples of previous projects.
Outcomes:
All grant recipients will complete:
- A Digital Humanities Project on African Poetry ready to be featured on the Portal.
- A critical commentary on the technological and thematic challenge of the project and its effectiveness.
- A plan for future related work of expansion of the current project
Submission Details:
Please submit all application documents through Submittable. For any questions, contact Rezina Habtemariam, APDP’s Project Manager, at rhabtemariam2@unl.edu.