Joe McHugh, Minister of State for the Diaspora and International Development, announced today that Irish Aid has again teamed up with The Irish Times on an African-themed short story and poetry competition for writers of all ages.
The competition marks Africa Day 2017 and is designed to showcase emerging talent, as well as established writers. This is the third year that the competition has taken place.
Entries are invited in three categories: Primary School, Secondary School and Adult. Writers are invited to submit a short story or poem with an African theme, set in either Ireland or Africa. Primary-school children can submit a piece of up to 250 words and secondary school students of up to 1,000 words. The word count for entries from adults is 2,000 words.
Submissions for all categories can be made via email to africaday@dhr.ie, putting "Writing Competition" in the subject line, or by post to "Africa Day Writing Competition, DHR Communications, 80 Francis Street, Dublin 8". Submissions for the adult and secondary school category must be typed. Entries for the primary school category may be handwritten.
The Minister said: “Irish Aid is delighted to partner with The Irish Times once again for the Africa Day 2017 short story and poetry competition, and to showcase the creative writing of Irish and African writers who are telling stories about the diverse culture and traditions of Africa and their links with Ireland. Celebrating Africa’s culture in this way helps to shine a light on the growing connections between Ireland and Africa.’’
Martin Doyle, Books Editor of The Irish Times, said: “The Irish Times is delighted to team up with Irish Aid again to provide a platform for a new generation of storytellers and poets. The competition has proved to be extremely popular in previous years and I look forward to seeing the entries this year. The Africa Day short story and poetry competition presents an ideal opportunity to showcase African culture and to explore being African in Ireland or Africa itself.”
The closing date for submissions is Wednesday, May 3rd, and the winners will be chosen by Irish Aid and The Irish Times. The winning entries will be published on www.IrishTimes.com on Sunday, 21st May, the same day as the flagship Africa Day event in Dublin, and winners will receive a selection of books to the value of €50 each. There will also be a photographic presentation at The Irish Times.
Irish Aid will host its flagship Africa Day event, on Sunday, May 21st, in the grounds of Farmleigh Estate in the Phoenix Park, Dublin 15. This free family-focused event will feature the sights and sounds of Africa, through performances by well-known African and Irish musicians; children’s entertainment; traditional African drumming and dance workshops; and much more.
Further information is available on www.africaday.ie.
