In a bid to support the next generation of African writers, Afrocover, a fast-raising media outlet, has launched the inaugural edition of its monthly essay writing competition. With the campaign, the Africa-centric news publisher aims to encourage young Africans to weigh on social and political issues relating to their continent.
More so, the maiden competition will kick-start on June 1 2025. As revealed, the topic of the June edition is “Exploring politics as the most influential institution that shapes a society’s social, economic, and cultural life.”
The essay writing guidelines stated that the competition is only open to writers from African countries and they must not be above 30 years old. Similarly, participants must be a student of a higher institution ie University, Polytechnic, or College.
In addition, Afrocover has put in place a cash prize of 50,000 naira to encourage youthful writers in Africa to express their original, unbiased, and thought-provoking perspectives on society. However, the competition will only recognize a winner as there are no prizes for runner-ups.
For young writers with interest to participate, the organization set a maximum of 750 words for an entry article and it must be submitted in English. Meanwhile, participants from non-English speaking African countries can submit the English translation version of their article.
Contestants must submit their articles before or on June 15 2025, at noon (WAT). According to Afrocover, the winner of the essay-writing competition will be announced on June 30 2025.
Also, Afrocover warns strongly against the usage of artificial intelligence tools to generate content for entry articles. To prove the authenticity of the work, the publisher urged writers to credit all sources appropriately and avoid plagiarism.
As announced, entry articles must be submitted in pdf, doc, or txt. The standard font and format are Times New Roman, 12 pts, 1.5 or double spacing. The organization established that all entry articles must include the name of the writer, a valid email, and contact number.
Those willing to participate can join the contest through this registration link: https://afrocover.com/contests/
