WPP SHORT STORY OF THE YEAR AWARD 2026

A celebration of non-romantic love in African life – family, friendship, duty, memory. Open to fiction writers, both published and unpublished, submitting new or pre-existing works. Submissions close 16 March 2026.

First place, first runner-up & second runner-up will be awarded from a prize pool of KES 65,000.

Submit Your Short Story!

Countdown to Submission Deadline

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Why Are We Doing This?

The Wanderer’s Path Publishers Short Story Competition is rooted in our commitment to social and cultural responsibility. We believe storytelling is a powerful tool for preserving memory, nurturing empathy, and expanding how communities understand one another. By creating space for stories that explore non-romantic love in African contexts, this award seeks to amplify voices that often go unheard, challenge narrow narratives inherited from dominant literary traditions, and encourage writers – especially emerging ones – to engage deeply with themes of care, kinship, sacrifice, and belonging. Through this initiative, Wanderer’s Path Publishers aims to support literary talent, strengthen Africa’s storytelling ecosystem, and contribute meaningfully to the cultural conversations that shape who we are and how we care for one another.

Submission Criteria

To be considered for The Wanderer’s Path Publishers Short Story Competition, all submissions must meet the following criteria:

  1. Genre & Theme

Submissions must be fictional short stories

The story must respond to the competition theme: Non-Romantic Love

Stories should explore forms of love beyond romance or sexuality, including (but not limited to) family, friendship, caregiving, duty, community, memory, place, belief, or devotion

  1. Eligibility

Open to writers 18 years and above

Open to both unpublished and previously published works, provided the author retains full copyright

One submission per author

Joint or group submissions are not permitted

  1. Word Count

Stories must be between 3,000 and 5,000 words

  1. Formatting Requirements

Font: Times New Roman, 12 pt

Spacing: Double-spaced

Margins: 1 inch on all sides

Page numbers: Bottom center or bottom right

  1. File Format & Naming

Accepted file formats: .doc or .docx

File name format: Lastname_Firstname_Title.docx

Avoid special characters in file names

  1. Cover Page Details

Each submission must include a cover page with:

Title of the story
Author’s full name
Email address and phone number
Word count
Short author bio (optional)

  1. Language & Style

Submissions must be written in standard English (UK or US spelling)

Correct grammar, punctuation, and spelling are required

Minimal text styling (italics, bold, capitals only where necessary)

  1. Submission Method

All entries must be submitted via email: awards@wandererspath.org with the short story attached as a Word document and the email title: WPP Short Story of the Year Award 2026 – “Author’s Name”

Authors must indicate whether the work is published or unpublished

  1. Rights & Originality

The work must be original and not infringe on any third-party rights

Authors retain full copyright and moral rights to their work

By submitting, authors grant Wanderer’s Path Publishers permission to use excerpts for competition-related promotion only

  1. Compliance

Submissions that do not meet the above criteria may be disqualified without review

By submitting, authors confirm they have read and agree to the competition’s terms and conditions

Submit Your Short Story Here!
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