Who is a Griot?

In the ancient West Africa, the term “Griot” was used to refer to a story teller, poet, musician or historian. Griots possess verse knowledge of and are repository of oral tradition. They pass on stories, songs and history from generation to generation mostly through the word of mouth. In Nigeria, griots are found in almost every tribe notably among the Hausa, Fulani, Yoruba, Ibibio, Igbo, Idoma, etc. We are looking for the new generation of young Nigerian Griots with creative, poetic and short story telling ability.


What Is The Griot Contest About?

The Griot is an annual literary contest organised by YoungNigerian.com. It is aimed at discovering young Nigerians all over the world with creative and literary talents. The Griot, which rotates between poetry and short story yearly, rewards the winner and runners-up with cash prizes, publishing contract, etc. Also, there will be consolation prizes for all entrants. The maiden edition opens 20 June 2020 with a Short Story Contest.


What Are The Prizes To Be Won?

GRAND PRIZE: $500 cash prize, publishing contract with a partner company, and a three-month book publicity.
FIRST RUNNERS-UP: $150 cash prize, media mention, opportunity to be brand ambassador and to feature in an anthology.
SECOND RUNNERS-UP: $100 cash prize, media mention, opportunity to be brand ambassador and to feature in an anthology.
OTHER PRIZES: There will be consolation prizes for all entrants to include free ticket and special invites to Young Nigerian Writer’s Summit, customised items, books etc. All entrants (including winner and runners-up) will be issued Certificate of Participation. 20 entries will be selected for an anthology. All entrants are entitled to a free softcopy of the anthology (hardcopy is available at subsidized rate).


Who Is Eligible To Contest?

  • All Nigerian writers irrespective of their place or country of residence
  • MUST not be above 35 years.

What Are The Submission Guidelines?

  • Short stories will be judged based on their originality, artistic quality and creativity.
  • Entrants are free to choose the theme of their story or to write on any theme of their choice. However, stories that use vulgarity or profane language or promote indecency, racism or pornography will be automatically disqualified.
  • Entry MUST be ORIGINAL and MUST NOT be previously published in any print or electronic media including anthology, journal, social media, or awaiting publication or submitted for same.
  • Short story MUST NOT be more than 1000 words. No any special cover page is required. Names of writers and titles of stories should not appear on the stories themselves, but should be written separately (in another page) together with the writers’ profile, address, telephone number and email address.
  • All entries MUST BE in English; any local words or terms used should be translated in the footnote.
  • Multiple entries are allowed by the same person on payment of required submission fee.
    Multiple entries are allowed on payment of submission fee for each entries. For example, N2500 for a single entry or N5000 for two entries. Discounts may be given for more than two entries upon request.
  • Entries should be submitted only through this portal. Entries submitted via EMAIL shall be disqualified.
  • Entries should be in Word Document only (i.e docx, doc).

What Is The Deadline For Submission?

Although deadline for submission is 31 July 2021, we advise entrants not to wait until the deadline to submit to avoid traffic overload.


How Do I Apply?

  • All entrants are to pay a submission fee of N2500 (single entry), and N5000 (two entries). Discounts may be considered for more than two entries upon request.





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