APPLY: Arts and Literary Opportunities Open In June 2023
Curated by Hussein Nuhu Isa
Arts and literary opportunities, ranging from contests to submissions for publication, offer an invaluable opportunity to hone your skills, gain exposure and visibility, win prizes, etc., at little to no financial cost.
Committed to promoting African arts and literature, Book O’clock has curated a number of opportunities open in the month of June, that are eligible to African artists and writers. Do you want to be more intentional about your craft this month? Then read this:
Isele Magazine: Resistance Issue
Isele Magazine is seeking submissions that revolve around resistance for its quarterly issue. Be it, indigenous resistance to colonialism and occupation, workers’ resistance to unfair labour practices, Crip resistance in a COVID-denying world, Crip resistance under MAiD, queer resistance in a fascist/Christofascist world, MaGes resistance under cisheteropatriarchy, Black resistance to systemic racism and white supremacy, proletariat resistance, youth resistance, all of these and more.
Submit either fiction, nonfiction, poetry, photography, visual art, and hybrid works that explore this theme to quarterly@iselemagazine.com.
Prize: Isele Magazine pays its contributors a modest token.
Deadline: 30th June 2023.
More here.
Black Girl Times
They are accepting pitches related to “anti-Blackness, Juneteenth, or freedom for Black Americans.” They’re especially looking for contributors who identify as Black, LGBTQ, disabled, women, and POC.
Prize: $0.25 to $1.00 per word.
Deadline: June 7th, 2023.
Read the details and guidelines for submission here.
Lightspeed
Lightspeed is open to submissions of science fiction short/flash stories and fantasy short/flash fiction in June and early July.
Prize: $0.08/word.
Deadlines: 7th June | 30th June | 7th July, 2023.
Read the details and guidelines for submissions here.
Defenestration
They are accepting short stories including an incident of defenestration — the art or –ism of throwing people out of windows. It need not be literal.
“This can be a sudden, immediate, even violent shift, change, or seismical event between the beginning and the end.”
Prize: $75, two runner-up prizes of $30 each.
Deadline: June 7, 2023.
Read the details and guidelines for submission here.
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Institute For Youth In Policy International Essay Writing Contest
They are seeking essays from students, in any country, who is currently enrolled in an accredited high school or college/university at the time of this submission, to submit essays on this:
“Countless countries around the world suffer from a plethora of issues — economic hardship, social turmoil, political polarization, pandemic recovery, unreliable leadership, corrupt governance, warfare and conflict, the list goes on. If you were elected the leader of your country, what would you do to address the issues your country faces in order to build a more prosperous society?”
Prize: $250 and publication.
Deadline: June 9, 2023.
Read the details and guidelines for submission here.
Imagine 2200: Climate Fiction for Future Ancestors
They are looking for stories that envision the next 180 years of climate progress — roughly seven generations – imagining intersectional worlds of abundance, adaptation, reform, and hope.
Prizes: $3,000 | $2,000 | $1,000 | $300 each for 9 winners.
Deadline: 13 June 2023.
Read the details and guidelines for submission here.
Goi Peace Foundation International Essay Contest For Young People
They are seeking essays from people of 25 years of age or less.
Word count: (max 700 words).
Theme: “What is Life?”
Prize: 1st US$840, 2nd US$420.
Deadline: June 15, 2023.
Read the details and guidelines for submission here.
Sapiens Plurum Short Fiction Contest
An annual short fiction contest, inviting stories that explore how we can use science and technology to build resilient communities in a rapidly changing world.
Prizes: $1,000 | $500 | $300.
Deadline: 15 June 2023.
Read the details and guidelines for submission here.
Writers Space Africa
WSA Magazine is accepting submissions for its 80th edition (August 2023 Edition). The theme for this edition is Religion. Entries are to be made in the following genre:
Creative Non-Fiction – 1,200 Words maximum
Children’s Literature – 700 words maximum (illustrations may be attached and poems not longer than 24 lines)
Flash Fiction – 300 words maximum
Poetry – 1 poem, a maximum of 24 lines
Short Stories – 1,500 words maximum
Read the details and guidelines for submission here.
Baffling Magazine
This quarterly online flash fiction magazine is seeking speculative stories that explore science fiction, fantasy, and horror with a queer bent.
Prize: $0.08/word.
Deadline: 15th June 2023.
Read the details and guidelines for submission here.
Amplifying Women’s Voices in Hausa Cultural Studies: Writing and Publishing Workshop for Early Career Women Academics from West Africa
SOAS University of London, Kaduna State University, and the Hausa International Book and Arts Festival, (HIBAF) with funding support from the British Academy invites applications to a four-day international academic writing workshop for early career women scholars working in West Africa, especially Nigeria and Niger, to be held in Abuja – Nigeria, 7–11 August 2023.
This workshop seeks to amplify the voices of West African early career academic women working in the field of Hausa Cultural studies and related fields.
Deadline: 15th June 2023
More details here.
Renard Press Poetry Contest
They are seeking Poetry on the theme, Kinship.
Kinship is a poetry anthology that seeks to provide a platform for marginalised voices, and to celebrate the great diversity and rich variation in the identities of people from around the world and from a huge cross-section of walks of life.
Prize: 1st prize: £200.
Deadline: June 17, 2023.
Read the details and guidelines for submission here.
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Eugene C. Pulliam Fellowship For Editorial Writing
They are seeking editorial writing from editorial writer across the globe, selected editorial writer will be awarded a fellowship with cash prize.
The Eugene C. Pulliam Fellowship was established to enable a mid-career editorial writer or columnist to have time away from daily responsibilities for study and research. Freelancers may also apply.
Fellowship worth: $75,000.
Deadline: June 19, 2023.
Read the details and guidelines for submission here.
Midnight & Indigo
They are accepting works by Black women writers – speculative fiction, character-driven fiction, and essays.
Prizes: Speculative fiction: $100 | Works compiled in their anthology: $200 | Essays: $100 | Other fiction: $0.08/word.
Deadline: 30 June 2023.
Read the details and guidelines for submission here.
AS Abugi National Prize for Short Story
As Abugi National Prize For Short Story is an initiative of Alkasim Abdulkadir; writer, poet, photographer and international media communications expert.
It is for a single win of N100, 000.
Deadline: 30th June 2023.
See attached for guidelines.
Book O’Clock Anniversary Prize
Secondary school students in Sokoto, Nigeria are invited to submit essays for the Book O’Clock Anniversary Prize.
Theme: If The President Could Read Me.
Prizes: N100,000 + across all three winners.
Deadline: 9 June 2023.
Submission guidelines here.
Frontier Poetry
Poets are invited to send their best work to Frontier Poetry’s biggest prize of the year, “Open”! The winning poem will be awarded $5,000 and publication.
In addition to the winner, nine finalists will also receive an award of $100 each with publication. The Frontier editorial team will work together to select winners and finalists for this contest.
Deadline: 16th July 2023.
Learn more here.
Briefly Write Poetry Prize
They want well-crafted poems of up to 10 lines; innovative language, strong imagery and a subtle, focused composition.
Prizes: £40 | £20 | £10.
Deadline: 30 June 2023.
Read the details and guidelines for submission here.
My Writing Journey Competition
This international writing contest is for a 600-word essay on the topic, “The best writing tip I’ve ever received”.
Prize: NZ$200 (R2000 or £100).
Deadline: 30 June 2023.
Read the details and guidelines for submission here.
Grain Magazine
Theme: Open.
Genres: Poetry, Visual works, Fiction, Nonfiction, and more.
Deadline: 15/06/2023.
Pay rates: $50-$250, Artists -$500.
Read more about this here.
Antithesis Magazine: Volume 33
Are seeking literary works on the theme: Cosmos.
Entries could be in form of Creative writing, Poetry, Artworks, etc.
Prize: Pay rates: AU$50
Deadline: 25/06/2023.
Read more about it here.
PS: The amazing people at D’Lit Review were of great help in putting together this list.
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Hussein Nuhu Isa is a poet, actor, writer and journalist who has the dream of becoming a better creative. He is a lover of nature and peace of mind, and describes self as a multimedia-enthusiast.
If Hussein is not writing or searching for his dreamed/imaginary woman_Dearie Halimah, he engages in volunteer activities.
He can be reached on huzeeal@gmail.com, Facebook via Hussein SonOfNuhu, Instagram via @zealofafrika, twitter using the handle @sonofnuhu and on WhatsApp through +2348104580490.
