By Momodou Jarju
The National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC) in partnership with the Writers Association of the Gambia (WAG) is set to organize a competition for young writers in the country with the topic: “Impact of Covid-19.” The competition dubbed ‘Covid-19 Short Story Competition 2020’, is part of the NCAC’s efforts to support the development of the creative industry.
“The aim of the competition is to respond to Covid-19 by young people through short stories and to raise public awareness on the coronavirus,” the organizers say; that the winner of the competition will have a cash prize of D3, 000 with the first runner-up ´receiving D1, 500 and the second runner-up getting D1, 000.
The organizers in a dispatch to media houses said the prizes are a manifestation of the NCAC’s overall mission to archive the wealth of Gambian literary production from getting lost in the chaos of the global crisis of Covid-19, “so that young people, storytellers, aspiring writers, can stay informed about global trends in the Gambian literary scene, and to ensure that the significance of these works transcend the final moment of their publication in an anthology book.”
To contest, eligibility is open to anyone aged between 12 to 30 years who can write a short story in English.
The submission deadline is 12th May 2020 and entries can be sent via email to: [email protected]
