Gerald Kraak Anthology and Prize

An anthology and prize on the topics of gender, human rights and sexuality, for writers and photographers across Africa.

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The Gerald Kraak Anthology and Prize is calling for submissions for our sixth anthology.

The anthology celebrates African voices on the topics of gender, human rights and sexuality, a continuing joint initiative of the Jacana Literary Foundation and the Other Foundation.

Writers, poets and photographers across Africa, of all genders and sexualities, are encouraged to submit. This years’ anthology theme is: Lesbian, bisexual and queer women.

Submissions for the sixth Gerald Kraak Anthology and Prize will be open from the 25 May, 2026 and will close on 18 August 2026.

Created in honour of the late activist Gerald Kraak’s extraordinary legacy of supporting human rights, this prize advances his contribution to building a world that is safe and welcoming to all.

This unique prize calls for multi-layered, brave and stirring African voices that represent a new wave of fresh storytelling, one that provokes thought on the topics of gender, social justice and sexuality.

Gerald Kraak (1956–2014) was a passionate champion of social justice, an anti-apartheid activist and the head of the Atlantic Philanthropies’ Reconciliation and Human Rights Programme in South Africa.

He authored two books, including the European Union Literary Award-winning Ice in the Lungs (Jacana, 2005), which explores South African politics, and directed a documentary on gay conscripts in the apartheid army. He will be remembered for being kind and generous, delightfully irreverent and deeply committed to realising an equal and just society for all. His unfinished novel, Shadow Play, posthumously completed by Alison Lowry, was published by Jacana Media in May 2017.

About The Other Foundation

The Other Foundation is an African trust that gathers support for those who are working to protect and advance the rights, wellbeing and social inclusion of people of all sexual orientations and gender identities – and gives support in a smart way that helps groups to work better for lasting change.

To learn more, please visit
www.theotherfoundation.org

VISIT THE OTHER FOUNDATION

About The Jacana Literary Foundation

The Jacana Literary Foundation (JLF) is a not-for-profit organisation that seeks to promote and foster writing excellence from Africa through a number of initiatives. By securing funding for key projects, the JLF aims to publish literature that might not otherwise see publication for purely commercial reasons.

This allows the JLF’s publishing partner, Jacana Media, to produce literature that supports the concept of bibliodiversity. We believe that it is through the reading and writing of local creative works that the truths of our lives are best told.

About the Prize and Anthology

Submissions must be in English and it’s creator from Africa. The winner and runner-up will be awarded cash prizes of R30 000 and R15 000 respectively, and shall be published in the anthology by Jacana Literary Foundation’s publishing partner, Jacana Media.

The Gerald Kraak Anthology and Prize is a joint initiative between The Other Foundation and the Jacana Literary Foundation (JLF).

SUBMIT YOUR ENTRY BELOW

The Heart of the Matter

This third Gerald Kraak Anthology, published in 2019 by Jacana Media with support from the Jacana Literary Foundation (JLF) and the Other Foundation, comprises the following shortlisted entries:

Winner:
OluTimehin Adegbeye won the third Gerald Kraak Prize for her essay ‘Mothers and Men’.

Fiction:
Obiageli by Prosper O. Anuforo (Nigeria).
The First of Their Kind by Lillian Akampurira Aujo (Uganda).
The Shape of Abnormal Things by Nonso Anyanwu (Nigeria).
Last Night in Asaba by Chiké Frankie Edozien (Nigeria).
A Sickness Called Longing by Chukwuebuka Ibeh (Nigeria).
Limbo by Innocent Chizaram Ilo (Nigeria).
The Impossibility of Home by Idza Luhumyo (Kenya).
The Passover by Caleb Okereke (Nigeria).
The Masked Dance by Nigel Mpemba Patel (Malawi).
Semen in the Sun by Jarred Thompson (South Africa).

Non-Fiction:
Mothers and Men by OluTimehin Adegbeye (Nigeria).
Monstrous by Megan Ross (South Africa).
This Hell of a Body by Eugene Yakubu (Nigeria).

Poetry:
Playlist of the Least Loveable by JK Anowe (Nigeria).
Father’s Lessons by Bamidele Iyanuoluwapo (Nigeria).
Verdwaal by Lynne Kloot (South Africa).
A List of Things I Don’t Tell My Mother by Sarah Lubala (Democratic Republic of Congo/South Africa).
On My Coming Out by Chisom Okafor (Nigeria).
City of Salts by Chisom Okafor (Nigeria).
Pride by Deborah Seddon (South Africa).
My sex drive is self-reflective, Butch Bottom and Condition by Jarred Thompson (South Africa).

Rules

Submissions for 2026 are open and will close on 18 August 2026.

Entries must have been created by a citizen of an African country. Written submissions must be in English.

Up to three entries are permitted per author, across categories. Each entry must be submitted on a separate electronic entry form.

Entries are submitted in the following categories:
1. Fiction
2. Non-fiction
3. Poetry
4. Visual Arts

Please number your pages, use a font size of 12, Times New Roman and 1.5 spacing (avoid unnecessary formatting, such as borders).

Materials must not exceed 15 000 words or 8 images.

Images must be 300 dpi high resolution.

Images will be published in an image section on matte art paper and not in the body of the text.

We are looking for work which tells a story or illustrates an idea. If one photograph achieves this, then we welcome the submission of that single image. It is, however, more likely to be accomplished through a collection of photographs or a photographic essay.

We accept unpublished as well as previously published works.

No handwritten or hard copy entries can be considered. Submissions must be made via the online portal.

Entrants’ name should not be included on the manuscript being submitted, as the award is judged blind and the author remains anonymous until the shortlist has been selected.

There is an opportunity to use a pseudonym should one be required.

Intertextuality and references must be appropriately attributed and permissions from copyright holders obtained. This includes poems; song lyrics; quotes and excerpts from books, newspapers, magazines, journals; and reproductions of artwork, photographs or other forms.

Submissions are considered to implicitly indicate the entrant’s permission for their work to be published in the anthology, if shortlisted, for no payment or royalty.

Entry Form

Please ensure that you have read the rules and criteria for this award before submitting your entry, to be sure that your work qualifies.

Gerald Kraak Anthology and Prize

Surname and first name

Date of birth

Current SADC country of residence

Postal Address

Address line 1

Address line 2

City

Province

Postal Code

Cellphone number

Work telephone number

Home telephone number

Email address

Preferred method of communication, should you be shortlisted

Title of your work

Category of your work

Has your work has been previously published?

Yes

What year was it published?

I certify that I am eligible for entry to this competition as I am a citizen of a country on the African continent.

Yes

I certify that the entry is my original work. If this is longlisted entry, I further grant licence for publication by Jacana Media and its publishing partners across Africa. I hold the copyright, or undertake to obtain permission for use in this anthology if the work has been previously published elsewhere. I am aware that no payment is due to me for the use of my work, and that only the overall winner is awarded a cash prize.

Yes

Please enter a short biography here, written in the third person (no longer than 100 words)

Give a brief description of the subject matter or contents of your work, and explain how it relates to the topics of gender, human rights and/or sexuality (no longer than 150 words).

I confirm that the document/file which I am submitting does not include my name, contact details or any other details by which the judging panel could identify me. It is no longer than 15 000 words and/or does not comprise more than 8 images.

Yes

I have obtained permissions from copyright holders for the use of their work.

Yes

For written works: Word or pdf documents are acceptable.

For any works which include photographs: JPEG files are acceptable. If you are submitting a photographic essay, or photographs with captions, please submit your text and photograph files together. Word or PDF text files are acceptable. Photographs must be high-resolution (300 dpi or more). Please photographic file submissions to under 15MB.

Attach your submission below.

Click 'Choose File' to upload your documents and/or JPEGs.

Choose File(s)

Note that any entries that are incomplete will be disqualified. Any submissions that do not meet the criteria (specified above) will also be disqualified. Only successful entrants, whose submissions have been selected for publication, will be contacted. All news and information related to this award will be sent out to our mailing list and posted to our Facebook and Twitter pages.

I would like to subscribe to the Jacana Literary Foundation’s mailing list

Yes

Disclaimer: Jacana Media assumes no responsibility for lost or misdirected entries. Jacana also reserves the right to edit for spelling and grammatical errors. Copyright remains with the writer, but Jacana reserves the right to use published materials however it deems fit. Acceptance of these terms is implied by submission of this entry form. Enquiries can be directed to awards@jacana.co.za.