Deadline: 21 February 2014
The Sylt Foundation hereby call on writers of contemporary African literature to apply for the two month African Writer’s Residency Award.
The African Writer’s Residency offers an Award of a two month residency to writers of contemporary African literature, who are related to or engaging with contemporary themes and concerns of Africa and the African Diaspora. The Award is open to published writers of poetry, prose, plays and novels.
One residency is awarded each year to one winning applicant who will take up this exciting opportunity to enjoy creative writing time at the Foundation Kunst:
This period will provide the writer with:
- an opportunity to focus on or complete a project in progress
- a quiet space suitable for contemplation and research
- an uninterrupted period for writing
- a means to leverage their artistic profile
- an opportunity to engage with other international writers and artists
While writers are managing career and personal demands, the vital process of conceptualizing and reflection, researching and developing new ideas, so essential to the writing process is often limited. A period of quiet uninterrupted time to focus on exploring ideas is critical to this process which is a challenge when balancing the pressures of everyday life.
The contemporary African writer who wins this Award is expected to work on or complete the writing project they proposed in their application. The residency aims to provide an opportunity to develop the ideas and do research related to this project.
Application requirements
Writers of African literature are invited to submit:
- a project proposal of the project they wish to work on while in residence
- it can be a current or proposed literary project
- a synopsis of the novel, short story or poetry project
Applications to include:
- Copy of a valid passport conforming to Schengen visa requirements
- Full Curriculum Vitae
- Writer’s Profile in English – 500 words
- Two (2) Letters of Reference in English from literary professionals, publishers or academics
Plus an excerpt (stating the publishers) from:
- one published book
- a volume of poetry
- a (publicly staged) play with information as to where and on what date it was staged
Note: Digital applications in MS Word or PDF documents only accepted (no hard copy proposals accepted)
(The copyright of all published material will be respected by the Foundation so digital copies of published books may be submitted and will be handled with due care. Material submitted will not be returned to the applicant)
Art Source South Africa has been appointed Organisers of the Award and manages this residency programme. The Organisers do not vote and have no influence on the selection and judging process.
Key Dates For the 2014 African Writer’s Residency:
– Deadline for application submission is 4pm Friday 21 February 2014
– Announcement and notification of 5 shortlisted finalists 1 April 2014
– Announcement of Residency Award Winner 30 April 2014
– Residency to be taken up from June 2014 – November 2015
No late applications will be considered. Applications will be kept confidential.
For More Information:
Visit the Art Source South Africa Webpage or
Art Source South Africa’s Facebook page
Submit e-mail entries and direct enquiries to:
Tammy Langtry: [email protected].
