The Island Prize is a literary prize open to previously unpublished debut African novelists from across the continent to help them reach wider audiences and break into the UK publishing scene.
The prize was curated by Booker long-listed author Karen Jennings, and is run in partnership with UK publisher Holland House Books.
It is a great opportunity for writers, and the success of last year has been great.
Our winner is now working with a UK agent, and 3 of the shortlisted authors have been offered publishing contracts. The remainder of the shortlist are still working with The Island Prize editors to hone their submissions, so there really is a lot of value to this prize!
There are financial prizes too: £500 to the winner, £200 for two runners up, and a £200 prize for the top entry from the Maghreb region.
Please download the information pack.
The key information is in the pack, but submissions should be the first three chapters or 10 000 words of a previously unpublished debut novel, along with a one-page synopsis.
More information for submissions can be found here: https://www.hhousebooks.com/submissions-2022-2023/.
Submissions close on January 6th 2023, and all submissions should be sent to submissions@theislandprize.com.
Instagram: @theislandprize