- The Miles Morland Foundation (MMF) is currently providing grants for African fiction writers.
- Recipients of this grant who are engaged in fiction writing will be granted £18,000, disbursed monthly over twelve months.
- Submission deadline is Monday 18th September 2023
The Miles Morland Foundation (MMF) is currently providing scholarships for its 2023 Writing Scholarships, exclusively aimed at African writers.
The foundation’s primary goal is to empower Africans to have their voices heard, with a specific focus on promoting African writing and literature and is designed to support writers who may face challenges in earning a living while pursuing their writing endeavours.
Each year, the MMF grants a limited number of Morland Writing Scholarships, allowing each recipient valuable time to work on the first draft of a complete book.
The eligibility criteria for the scholarship are open to individuals writing in the English language, provided they were born in Africa or have both parents who were born in Africa.
Grant award
In a document seen by Nairametrics, recipients of this grant who are engaged in fiction writing will be granted £18,000, disbursed monthly over twelve months.
For those working on non-fiction projects that require extended research time, an additional grant may be offered, distributed over up to eighteen months, subject to the Foundation’s discretion.
Every month, scholars are required to submit 10,000 new words that they have written during that period to the Foundation.
Additionally, they are requested to contribute 20% of any future earnings derived from the book they write while under the scholarship.
This includes proceeds from film rights, serializations, or any other related revenues from the book produced during the Scholarship period.
The funds raised from these contributions will be utilized to support other aspiring writers. The 20% return is regarded as a moral commitment rather than a legally binding obligation.
Scholarship details
The scholarships are specifically intended for full-length works of adult fiction or non-fiction. Poetry, plays, film scripts, children’s books, and short story collections are not eligible for consideration.
Scholars have the flexibility to commence their scholarship term anytime between January and June of the year following the Scholarship Award.
Payments and the monthly submission of 10,000 words will commence simultaneously.
To be eligible for the scholarship, candidates must submit an excerpt from a piece of work written in English, ranging from 2,000 to 5,000 words, which has been published and offered for sale.
They must provide clear evidence that the submitted piece is indeed published and available for purchase. The evaluation will be conducted by a panel of readers and judges appointed by the MMF, solely based on literary merit.
Academic or scientific research, as well as religious or political writings, are not supported by the scholarships and do not qualify.
During the scholarship year, the sole requirement for scholars is to focus on their writing. They are expected to submit a minimum of 10,000 new words each month until they complete their book or their Scholarship term concludes. If the first draft is finished before the year ends, payments will continue during the editing and refinement phase.
Both fiction and non-fiction proposals are welcome. Non-fiction scholars may be granted an extended scholarship period of up to 18 months to accommodate additional research time, at the Foundation’s discretion.
It’s important to note that this is not a residential scholarship, and scholars are free to determine their living arrangements during the scholarship year.
How to apply
Here are the required writing tasks to apply:
Candidates are required to submit a project description ranging from 400 to 1,000 words, outlining the work they intend to write. The proposal must be for a full-length book containing at least 80,000 words.
Collaborative writing proposals and short story collections will not be accepted by the MMF. Additionally, the proposal must be for a completely new work, not a work in progress, and must be written in English.
If a candidate is shortlisted for a Morland Writing Scholarship, they will be requested to provide a 3,000 to 4,000-word “chapter” of the book they are proposing to write during their scholarship year.
This sample “chapter” will aid the judges in assessing the writer’s abilities.
By the end of October, writers on the shortlist will be notified, and they will have 15 days to submit the sample “chapter.”
Therefore, candidates are advised to plan for the sample “chapter” they will need to provide if they make it to the shortlist.
After the shortlisting process, candidates will be asked to submit a 200 to 300-word essay about themselves and their background.
Shortlisted individuals will also be required to provide further information about their writing approach and how they intend to work on their book.
Applicants can check here for more details and apply on this application form before the deadline which is Monday 18th September. The winners will be announced in November.
Summary of writing tasks
- A submission of between 2,000 to 5,000 words as a Word document of work that has been published and offered for sale.
- Proof of publication and proof of sale.
- A description of between 400 – 1,000 words about the new book you intend to write.
- A scan of an official document showing that you, or both of your parents, were born in Africa.
- A brief bio of between 200 – 300 words.
- Please tell us how you heard about the Morland Writing Scholarships.
Concerning the ”A submission of between 2,000 to 5,000 words as a Word document of work that has been published and offered for sale” bit, what methods of publishing are we referring to here?
I only know of Amazon and a few other publishing platforms like Wattpad and Webnovel, however, Amazon requires the book to be completed, Webnovel (to the best of my understanding) requires signing of a contract (and this might not be in agreement with certain terms of the MMF) and Wattpad’s payment method is a tad bit alien to me.
Could more light be shed on the subject of “published and for sale”?