2010 Submission Criteria for the Burt Award for African Literature - Ghana
Manuscript Criteria
In the second year of the the Burt Award for African Literature in Ghana, manuscripts will be accepted through publishers only who are allowed to submit no more than three manuscripts per publisher. The manuscripts are expected to be prepared by authors in collaboration with publishers. This is to ensure that the submitted manuscripts are edited to some extent by the publishers before they are read by the jury.
Manuscripts will be reviewed by a panel of judges based on the following criteria:
The Award is restricted to authors who are citizens and reside in Ghana.
1. Manuscripts shall be written in English.
2. Manuscripts should be thought-provoking and original.
3. Manuscripts should show creativity, readability, and suitability to adolescents (12-15 years old).
4. Manuscripts should portray strong and admirable principal characters.
5. Manuscripts should use humour and or suspense to entertain and captivate the reader.
6. Manuscripts should be lively and allow for dramatization.
7. Manuscripts should reflect modern realities and indicate some of the social problems which are facing adolescents in Ghana.
Manuscripts are encouraged to be written with potential to evolve into a book series or sequel.
The Award is restricted to authors who are Ghanaian citizens and reside in Ghana.
Tips for strong submissions:
The best stories:
* Engage young readers in characters they can identify with such as protagonists who overcome challenges or obstacles in a positive way.
* Have a well-developed plot with a good flow of events and pacing.
* Effectively use literary devices, such as flashbacks.
* Display excellent story-telling style, such as strong imagery, lively dialogue, and vivid descriptions.
* Reflect current issues and challenges of concern to contemporary Ghanaian adolescents
Specifications
To be accepted for consideration manuscripts need to be:
* Manuscripts should be between 80-120 pages in length.
* Manuscripts should be in chapter form.
* Manuscripts should be type-written and double spaced on an A-4 sized paper.
* The font type should be Times New Roman and size 12.
Winning authors will be awarded monetary prizes and will work with local publishers to ensure 3,000 published copies are distributed by GBT to schools in rural areas of Ghana. The announcement of the second Burt Award winners will coincide with the Ghana International Book Fair to be held in November 2011.
Deadline for Submission
The manuscripts should be submitted in both hard and soft copies through publishers to the Ghana Book Trust by 29th April, 2011 by 4.00pm. They will be reviewed and assessed by a panel of qualified judges to determine the winners.
Three awards will be presented annually:
Gold, 16,000 GHS
Silver 8,000 GHS
Bronze 4,000 GHS
(Prizes are based on $12,000, $6,000 and $3,000 Canadian dollars and are subject to changes in currency exchange rates)
Contact Information
The Ghana Book Trust (GBT) is the implementing organization that manages the award. The Ghana Book Trust (GBT) is a non-governmental organization that increases literacy by supporting educators to teach reading and writing, while supplying relevant books and learning materials to school and community libraries across Ghana.
Ghana Book Trust
No. 16 IPS Road
P.O. Box LG 536
Legon-Accra
Tel: + 233 (0) 21 502495
Email: gbt@africaonline.com.gh
The Award is sponsored by CODE, a Canadian NGO, with generous support from a Canadian individual, Bill Burt.
More information here.
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