The Debut Fiction category of the Etisalat Prize for Literature which opened on the 5th of June will officially close on Friday, 30th of August 2013 to kick off the judging process by the panel of judges chaired by Pumla Gqola.

The Etisalat Prize for Literature is the first ever pan-African prize to applaud first time writers of published fiction books. The Prize boasts of a seasoned panel of Judges from across the continent, each with the aim of identifying new writers of African descent. Submitted works must be the writer’s first fiction book of over 30,000 words, which has been published in the last 24 months.

Entries for the Fiction Novel category will be assessed by four preselected judges chaired by Pumla Gqola, Associate Professor in the Department of African Literature at the University of the Witwatersrand (South Africa); Zakes Mda, Professor of Creative writing at the University of Ohio; Billy Kahora, Managing Editor of Kwani Trust, of the literary Journal Kwani and Sarah Ladipo Manyika, writer and academic.

With a prize money of £15,000, along with a Samsung Note, the winner of the Fiction Novel category will also go on an Etisalat-sponsored book tour in three major cities and be awarded a fellowship at the prestigious University of East Anglia, the pre-eminent school for creative writing and mentored by Professor Giles Foden, author of the Last King of Scotland. The second place winner will receive a cash prize of £1,000, also go on an Etisalat-sponsored book tour with a Samsung Note. Etisalat will also purchase 1000 copies of the three shortlisted books which will be distributed across libraries and schools in the continent as a way of also celebrating the publishing industry.

Enitan Denloye, Director, Brands and Communications at Etisalat Nigeria, said the entries received spanned across the continent, a testament to the abundance of literary talent out of Africa. “We have received some exciting and quality entries since the call for entries of the Etisalat Prize and what we are doing with this Prize is to focus attention on first time published writers.  We are delighted to have provided a platform that showcases and celebrates the uniqueness and creativity in the literary arts as it relates to fiction in Africa.”