Call for Application: The Alexander Nderitu Prize for World Literature 2025 (With up to Kshs 50,000 in Funding)

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About The Alexander Nderitu Prize for World Literature 2025

The African Griot Review is proud to announce the return of the Alexander Nderitu World Literature Prize! The 2025 Edition will honour original, one-act stage plays from anywhere in the world. A single winner will be chosen by the founder of the prize, Kenyan-born writer and critic Alexander Nderitu. The longlist will be announced in December 2025. The shortlist will be announced in February 2026 and the eventual winner will be unveiled at a literary event in April 2026. The winning playwright will walk away with a cash prize of Kshs 50,000, a one-year online promotion campaign, and grace the cover of The African Griot Review magazine. The 2024 winner of the prize was Nigeria’s Haliru Ali Musa, for his short story, The Pregnant Ghost. There is no entry fee.

• Sponsor Organisation: The Alexander Nderitu

Benefits of The Alexander Nderitu Prize for World Literature 2025

• The winning playwright will walk away with a cash prize of Kshs 50,000, a one-year online promotion campaign, and grace the cover of The African Griot Review magazine.

The Alexander Nderitu Prize for World Literature 2025 Requirements

• Territories: The contest is open to writers anywhere in the world, aged over 18.
• Language: All entries must be in English. Translations and adaptations are not eligible.
• Work: The entry must not be optioned, commissioned, performed or been previously published anywhere, including online. Simultaneous submissions are fine but please inform us if your work is published or staged elsewhere during the judging process. We’re looking for a play that is about 15 minutes long. A minute of dialogue is roughly one page of script. The playwright’s name must not appear anywhere on the submitted document. One may submit up to three different plays. Each play must have only one writer, no collaborators. Plagiarism and assistance from Artificial Intelligence (AI) writing tools are grounds for instant disqualification.

While not essential, the Standard Stage Play format is recommended. Free guide available here: https://caryplaywrightsforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/CPF_play_formatting2.pdf

• Entry fee: None
• Submissions: All entries are to be submitted in Adobe PDF format to: submissions(at)theafricangriot.com. In the subject tab, type: ‘2025 Alexander Nderitu Prize for World Literature Submission’. In the body of the e-mail furnish the following information:

- Title of your play
- Your full name
- Your nationality
- Your age
- Your daytime telephone number
- Your preferred email address
- A brief bio (300 words max)

Add your short play as a PDF attachment. (Remember not to include any identifiers in the attachment.) The Judge’s decision is final. The winning entry will be published in The African Griot Review.

Application Date and Process

Click on the link to the application website to apply.

Application Deadline

15 November, 2025

Scholarship Application Portal

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