The Miles Morland Foundation Writing Scholarship

FAQ’s

Is there an official application form?

No

When will applications be accepted?

Applications will be accepted between 1st July 2023 and 18th September 2023. We will acknowledge receipt but, unless we have a query, you won’t hear from us again unless you reach the shortlist. The awards will be announced in November.

In what format should the application be sent?

Please upload the five requested documents to our FileInvite site, where they will be processed. In order to do this, please click on the blue box that reads ‘Morland Writing Scholarship Application’ on any page of our website. You will be asked to fill in your name and email address and ‘send’. You will then automatically receive an email to your inbox instructing you on how to upload the documents that make up your application.

What does “previously published” mean?

It must have appeared in a printed book, journal or magazine that has been offered for sale. Publication in a book, magazine or blog that is free and not offered for sale is not eligible. Please note that an excerpt from an airline, college, association, or similar free magazine is not acceptable. Being published on Kindle is acceptable; it is the only online medium that is. Other forms of online appearance are not acceptable. Please give us sufficient detail of where the published work has appeared to allow it to be verified without effort on our part. We have limited resources and are unable to contact publishers on your behalf.

Might the judges make an exception for an unpublished author who shows promise?

No. If you do not meet the requirements set out above please do not submit an entry. Good luck with getting your work published in future years after which we will be happy to receive a submission from you.

I understand that I or both my parents must have been born in Africa for me to be eligible for a scholarship. Is where I currently live important?

Defining who is “African” is difficult. The Scholarships are meant to help African – not European or American – authors, or people of African origin who have emigrated to other continents. This is why both your parents must have been born in Africa if you yourself were not. We have introduced one exception to this. If you were not born in Africa and only one of your parents was born there you will qualify if you can show documentary proof that you are, at the time of application, a full-time resident of Africa (defined as having spent at least nine of the previous twelve months in Africa).

How long should the submitted excerpt be?

2,000 – 5,000 words. Please note it should be a single submission from one piece of published work. Please do not send two or more submissions.

Can I submit the same submission which I have preciously sent into to apply for a scholarship?

We discourage this. If it did not get you a scholarship before, it probably won’t this time. We would prefer to see something we have not seen before.

To what address should excerpts be sent?

Applications should be uploaded to our Fileinvite site by clicking on the blue box on any page of our website entitled ‘Morland Writing Scholarship Application’. Once you have sent us your name and email address, instructions on how to apply will be emailed to you.

What will the judges be looking for in awarding the Scholarships?

The purpose of the Scholarships is to promote literature and good writing. Submissions, including non-fiction submissions, will be judged solely on literary merit. Before you submit an entry ask yourself, or ask an objective friend, “does my entry show literary merit?” If the answer is “no” please do not make a submission.

Do proposed works have to be about Africa or set in Africa?

No, but please note that works which relate to Africa are likely to be preferred by the judges.

What else should accompany my submission other than an example of my previously published work?

A scan of the information page of your passport or another official document evidencing your place of birth.

When will the winners of the scholarships be announced?

The shortlist will be published in November and the winners announced in December 2023. At that time we will send an email to unsuccessful candidates, thanking them for their submission and informing them of the judges’ decision. Shortlisted candidates will be contacted in November and asked to supply us with further information regarding their personal circumstances as well as their writing plans.

For the book proposal, do the judges need to see a short synopsis or a longer description?

You will be expected to submit a proposal of up to 1,000 words of the work you intend to write during your scholarship year. The judges give close scrutiny to these proposals.

Please note that if you are shortlisted for a Morland Writing Scholarship, you will be asked to send us a 3,000 – 4,000 words “chapter” of the book you are proposing to write on your scholarship year to help the judges assess your ability. Writers will be notified that they are on the shortlist at the end of October. Shortlisters will then have 15 days to return the sample “chapter”. In view of that, please do some advance thinking about the sample “chapter” you will have to provide if you are shortlisted.

Is a book that is finished but under review with a publisher eligible for consideration?

No. The scholarship is intended to enable you to write a completely new work, not to finish a work in progress. A “new work” is one which you have not yet begun writing.

Is a collection of poetry or a play or film-script a suitable submission as an example of previously published work?

No, examples of published work must be in prose.

Is there an age restriction for applicants?

No

Should I submit anything else with my excerpt such as a CV or a letter?

Please tell us in a biography of 200 – 300 words something about yourself and your background. Please do not submit a job application type CV or résumé.

Do I need to prove my African birth place? If so, how?

See above regarding the necessity to submit a scan of your passport or other official document. If you qualify because both of your parents were born in Africa, please attach evidence of this (preferably the information page of their passports). If you qualify because you were not born in Africa but only one of your parents was, then you will have to show easily verified evidence that you have lived in Africa for at least nine of the past twelve months. If both of your parents were born in Africa the residence requirement is waived.