Technology & IT | Thursday 27 August, 2015 2:19 am |

Writers from Africa have one month left to enter the Etisalat Prize for Literature 2015. The Etisalat Prize for Literature is the first ever Pan African prize celebrating debut African writers of published fiction.

Chief Executive Officer of Etisalat Nigeria, Matthew Willsher says that the "Etisalat Prize for Literature serves as a platform for the discovery of new creative writing talents out of the African continent."

The CEO highlighted that following the success of the second year, which was concluded early this year, the literary community is eagerly awaiting the third year. NoViolet Bulawayo won the maiden edition of the Etisalat Prize for Literature with her highly celebrated debut novel, We Need New Names, while Songeziwe Mahlangu emerged winner of the second year of the prize with his novel,Penumbra.

The judging panel for the 2015 edition will be chaired by Professor Ato Quayson, a Professor of English and inaugural Director of the Centre for Diaspora Studies at the University of Toronto; completing the panel is Molara Wood, writer, blogger, journalist, critic and editor and Zukiswa Wanner, author of The Madams and Men of the South.

Commenting on the choice of judges for the prize, Willsher stated that Etisalat carried out extensive research and consultation in deciding the choice of judges for this year, and also expressed the belief that the selected judges will bring their experience to bear on the Etisalat Prize for Literature.

The judges, he said, will have the responsibility to develop the longlist of nine novels as well as a shortlist of three novels before finally selecting a winner. Submission of entries is ongoing, having opened June 18, 2015 and will close on the 27th of August 2015.

The Etisalat prize is designed to foster writing in Africa, bring exciting new African writers to the attention of a wider audience, and promote the reading culture. The winner receives a cash prize of £15,000 in addition to a fellowship at the prestigious University of East Anglia under the mentorship of the award-winning author, Professor Giles Foden. The winner will also receive a sponsored three-city book tour while the two other shortlisted writers will receive a sponsored two-city book tour to promote their books. The Etisalat Prize for Literature also supports publishers by purchasing 1000 copies of the shortlisted books for distribution within the continent.

This prize accepts submitted works, which must be a writer's first work of fiction of over 30,000 words, and published within the last 24 months. The Etisalat Prize will also launch the online-based flash fiction prize later in the year to engage the rising stars of fiction.