By News Editor
One of Africa’s most prestigious annual creative writing grants, the Miles Morland Foundation Scholarship, will resume acceptance of application by July 1st 2022. Deadline is September 19th, 2022.
The Miles Morland Foundation Scholarship is aimed at helping writers born in Africa or of African parentage produce the first draft of a book they intend to write. The grant was necessitated as stated in the official website of the scholarship because, “It can be difficult for writers, before they become established, to write while simultaneously earning a living.”
Accepted proposals include novels, memoirs, poetry collections and plays. Short stories and children’s books are not accepted.
The Miles Morland Foundation offers each scholar a grant of £18,000 paid monthly over the course of twelve months. The foundation can also offer writers of non-fiction who require additional research time, additional grant for an extra six months.
Qualifying for the Miles Morland Foundation Scholarship is easy. You should be born in Africa. Or at least have both parents born in the continent. Then you must have work published and offered for sale of which you will submit a 2,000-5,000 word excerpt and proof of publication and sale.
The shortlist of writers will be released by the end of October, 2022. Afterwards, shortlisted writers will be asked to submit a 3,000-4,000 words sample of what they intend to work on during the time of the scholarship. Winners will be announced by the end of November, 2022. Winners can opt to resume from January to June of the month of award.
Scholars are obligated, during the scholarship duration, to send on a monthly basis at least 10,000 new words of the first draft which they are working on. If the scholars finish their books before the end of the scholarship, the foundation will continue to pay them until the end of the scholarship.
Miles Morland Foundation Scholars will be required to donate 20% of whatever they make from the book written with the help of the Miles Morland Foundation Scholarship. This includes film rights, serialisation and ancillary revenues. The foundation appeals to writers to see this 20% as a debt of honour rather than a legally binding obligation.
The five requirements for the Miles Morland Foundation Scholarship are summarised below as follows:
1. Submission of 2,000-5,000 published and sold work along with proof of publication and sale.
2. 400-1,000 words description of the book the applicant intends to write.
3. Scan of an official document which shows that the applicant or both parents were born in Africa.
4. Brief bio between 200-300 words.
5. Brief narration of how the applicant heard about the Morland Writing Scholarships.
For more information, please head to the Miles Morland Foundation Scholarship official website.