The Jacana Literary Foundation has announced that submissions for the seventh annual Sol Plaatje European Union Poetry Award and Anthology will be open from 1 to 16 July 2017!

The award and anthology are made possible through a partnership with the European Union.

Up to three poems in any of South Africa’s official languages can be submitted via the online entry form that will be put up on the Jacana website on 1 July. Entrants are encouraged to submit poems written in their mother tongue. Entries will close at 5 pm on Sunday, 16 July.

The work submitted is judged blind by a panel of four esteemed poets. As in previous years, a longlist of the best entries received will be published in volume 7 of the anthology. A shortlist of three poets is selected from the longlist, and those finalists will be invited to attend an event at the inaugural annual Nirox Foundation Word Festival in mid-October, where the winner will be announced and cash prizes awarded. The word festival will reverberate the themes around the award, and further question and express subjects exploring our troubled and uncertain times and the pursuit of ‘another way’.

Named after Solomon Tshekisho Plaatje (1876–1932), the award recognises the life and vision of this highly respected political and social activist. We always hope that it reveals the political and social attitudes of our time, and reflects the complex, nuanced and uncomfortable truths of life in South Africa, and thus, poems which reflect our current realities are warmly welcomed.

For more information, contact the Jacana Literary Foundation on awards@jacana.co.za.

For the full press release, click on the link above (PDF)