The 2016 Morland Writing Scholarship Shortlist has Been Announced
28 Nov 2016
The 2016 Morland Writing Scholarship shortlist has been announced with 22 writers included on the list. The Scholarship will be awarded to five writers who will each receive £18 000, paid over the course of a year, to allow them to take time off to write the book they have proposed.
Congratulations to PEN SA members Amy Heydenrych and Nick Mulgrew, who have been shortlisted.
The Miles Morland Foundation is delighted to announce the shortlist for the 2016 Morland Writing Scholarships. This year, Nigerians have dominated the list. Of the twenty-two names, eleven are from Nigeria, four from South Africa, two each from Somalia and Kenya, and one each from Gambia, Ghana, and Zimbabwe.
Miles Morland said, “The standard of the shortlist is always high but this year we had an even greater depth of talent than before, making the choosing of a shortlist particularly difficult. We had over 500 entries, up from 385 last year and they came from 37 countries, compared with 27 last year. We have two Caine Prize winners on it, and a number of writers who have received global recognition. We are pleased also to have writers early in their career who show terrific promise. We have been blown away by the talent, imagination, energy, and humour that characterises African writing. Our only disappointment is that, although we had a number of non-fiction submissions, only one made it to the short list. We are actively trying to encourage non-fiction, Africans telling Africa’s story.”
Read more and see the full shortlist on the Miles Morland Foundation website
(Image courtesy of the Miles Morland Foundation)