Toyin Falola Prize 2023/ How to Submit (Prize: $1000)

The Toyin Falola Prize (TFP) calls for submission for its 4th edition. 

The theme this year is Sacred, and this is to be interpreted very broadly: in religious, secular, mysterious, virtuous, cherished terms, etc. Sacred could be about piety and consecration, or not. Concerned with religion or religious belief and purposes. I.e., rites, music, texts, belief, and experience. I.e., consecrated, dedicated, divine, holy, solemn. To be sacred is to be sanctified, consecrated, cherished, hallowed, solemn, venerated, Worthy of devotion and preservation.

What is sacred can be material, psychological, or political. They are interested in imaginative and bold works that test the limits of our understanding of the sacred. They desire works that show us the sacred in the (un)profane, where the sacred resides, and the things that deny the sacred its due. Writing a story based on a theme is best done when you have an idea of the intricacies of themes in fiction. 

Eligibility Guidelines for Toyin Falola Prize 2023

• The writer should not be below the age of 15 or above 35 at the time of submission.
• All entrants must be African, either be born in Africa or have either of the two parents as African.
• All submissions must be the original work of the entrants. It should be previously unpublished in any form, and not under consideration for publication or prize somewhere else. That means they do not accept translated works or simultaneous submissions. Note: Published means either online in any form or on any platform.

Submission Guidelines

• There is no limit to the number of words; however, we would prefer submissions within the range of 1,500 – 4,500 words. Learn about short story writing to help your submission. 
• They do not accept more than an entry per writer/submission.
• All submissions should be sent to prize@lunaris.com.ng with the subject TOYIN FALOLA PRIZE SUBMISSION.
• All submissions should be attached as doc. file, named as the title of the submission (without the name of the entrant) and formatted in 1.5 line spacing, Book Antiqua theme font with font size 12. Note: Other file formats would not be considered for the prize.
• Also, the body of the submission email should not contain the bio of the entrant, just the title of the submission, word count, genre, and contact information. Bios of the entrants would be requested upon selection. The file itself should not indicate the name or any identifying detail of the entrant.
• By submitting to the prize, the entrant gives Pan-African University Press the exclusive right (or as determined by PAUP) to edit and publish their works upon selection for the longlist in the ensuing anthology of the prize.
• No member or relative of the Lunaris Review Team and Pan-African University Press would be considered for the Prize.

Prize

The winner of the Toyin Falola Prize will receive $1000 USD with an invitation to the BIGSAS Festival of African and African Diasporic Literatures at Bayreuth in Germany, while the shortlisted entries are granted $100 USD each.

Deadline

Submission closes on October 15, 2023.

Goodluck.