LUSAKA, JULY 27 – Kalemba Prize announced today that it is increasing the amount for the Kalemba Short Story Prize 2022 to $2500.
The Kalemba Prize celebrates contemporary Zambian short fiction. Established in 2017, the prize is awarded for the best unpublished short fiction by a Zambian writer.
The award increase is an important step to expanding the prestige and reach of the KSSP.
“We hope to increase the prize in value and prestige to other international prizes” says founder, Sampa Kangwa-Wilkie.
The winner will receive $1500 from $1000 while the two run ups will receive $500 each. It will be the first time that the run ups will be awarded.
“I look forward to supporting this important project” said Justin Chinyanta, who has partnered with Kalemba to grow and expand the prize incrementally.
Following a review process in 2021, the selection process for KSSP2022 has also been changed.
Long listed writers will have the opportunity to participate in a masterclass and to resubmit their stories for further shortlisting. Six stories will be shortlisted. The winning story and two special mentions will be awarded at a special ceremony in Lusaka in 2023.
In addition, the Kalemba Prize website will be relaunched with a new design to improve user experience.
In 2023, Kalemba will launch a Poetry Prize and an online literary magazine.
The 2022 Kalemba Short-Story Prize will be open for submissions from October 10 to December 10, 2022.
Past winning stories; A Hand to Hold (2018), Inswa (2019), and If it Aren’t Broke (2020), is just a small example of the abundant writing talent that Zambia has. There was no prize in 2021.
Kambandu and Kalimamunkweto have since soared to greater heights including being shortlisted, winning prizes and or publishing novels.
Zambia has some of the most talented storytellers on the continent, many of them young, with no prior training in fiction writing.
“With some exposure and skills in writing fiction, Zambian writers are just as capable as their peers on the continent and elsewhere,” adds Kangwa-Wilkie.
Skip to content
Kalemba Prize 