{"id":2756,"date":"2026-01-26T16:05:20","date_gmt":"2026-01-26T13:05:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wandererspath.org\/new\/?page_id=2756"},"modified":"2026-04-02T21:36:52","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T18:36:52","slug":"wpp-short-story-of-the-year-award","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.wandererspath.org\/new\/wpp-short-story-of-the-year-award\/","title":{"rendered":"WPP Short Story of the Year Award"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-container uagb-block-d901e115 alignfull uagb-is-root-container\"><div class=\"uagb-container-inner-blocks-wrap\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-container uagb-block-ad976e81\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-info-box uagb-block-0b36d7a8 uagb-infobox__content-wrap  uagb-infobox-icon-above-title uagb-infobox-image-valign-top\"><div class=\"uagb-ifb-content\"><div class=\"uagb-ifb-title-wrap\"><h1 class=\"uagb-ifb-title\">WPP SHORT STORY OF THE YEAR AWARD 2026<\/h1><\/div><p class=\"uagb-ifb-desc\">A celebration of non-romantic love in African life &#8211; family, friendship, duty, memory. Open to fiction writers, both published and unpublished, submitting new or pre-existing works. Submissions close 16 March 2026.<br><br>First place, first runner-up &amp; second runner-up will be awarded from a prize pool of KES 65,000.<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-buttons uagb-buttons__outer-wrap uagb-btn__default-btn uagb-btn-tablet__default-btn uagb-btn-mobile__default-btn uagb-block-45d8059c\"><div class=\"uagb-buttons__wrap uagb-buttons-layout-wrap \">\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-buttons-child uagb-buttons__outer-wrap uagb-block-9bd848b5 wp-block-button\"><div class=\"uagb-button__wrapper\"><a class=\"uagb-buttons-repeater wp-block-button__link\" aria-label=\"\" href=\"mailto:awards@wandererspath.org\" rel=\"follow noopener\" target=\"_self\" role=\"button\"><div class=\"uagb-button__link\">Submit Your Short Story!<\/div><\/a><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-image alignright uagb-block-ef35df72 wp-block-uagb-image--layout-default wp-block-uagb-image--effect-static wp-block-uagb-image--align-right\"><figure class=\"wp-block-uagb-image__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wandererspath.org\/new\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/WPP-SHORT-STORY-OF-THE-YEAR-AWARD-2026-EXTENDED-819x1024.png ,https:\/\/www.wandererspath.org\/new\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/WPP-SHORT-STORY-OF-THE-YEAR-AWARD-2026-EXTENDED.png 780w, https:\/\/www.wandererspath.org\/new\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/WPP-SHORT-STORY-OF-THE-YEAR-AWARD-2026-EXTENDED.png 360w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 150px\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wandererspath.org\/new\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/WPP-SHORT-STORY-OF-THE-YEAR-AWARD-2026-EXTENDED-819x1024.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"uag-image-2819\" width=\"544\" height=\"801\" title=\"WPP SHORT STORY OF THE YEAR AWARD 2026 EXTENDED\" loading=\"lazy\" role=\"img\"\/><\/figure><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:135px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-advanced-heading uagb-block-a8a19831\"><h2 class=\"uagb-heading-text\">Countdown to Submission Deadline<\/h2><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-countdown uagb-block-59867357\"><div class=\"wp-block-uagb-countdown__box wp-block-uagb-countdown__box-days\"><div role=\"timer\" aria-live=\"off\" class=\"wp-block-uagb-countdown__time wp-block-uagb-countdown__time-days\">&#8211;<\/div><div class=\"wp-block-uagb-countdown__label\">DAYS<\/div><\/div><div class=\"wp-block-uagb-countdown__box wp-block-uagb-countdown__box-hours\"><div role=\"timer\" aria-live=\"off\" class=\"wp-block-uagb-countdown__time wp-block-uagb-countdown__time-hours\">&#8211;<\/div><div class=\"wp-block-uagb-countdown__label\">HOURS<\/div><\/div><div class=\"wp-block-uagb-countdown__box wp-block-uagb-countdown__box-minutes\"><div role=\"timer\" aria-live=\"off\" class=\"wp-block-uagb-countdown__time wp-block-uagb-countdown__time-minutes\">&#8211;<\/div><div class=\"wp-block-uagb-countdown__label\">MINUTES<\/div><\/div><div class=\"wp-block-uagb-countdown__box wp-block-uagb-countdown__box-seconds\"><div role=\"timer\" aria-live=\"off\" class=\"wp-block-uagb-countdown__time wp-block-uagb-countdown__time-seconds\">&#8211;<\/div><div class=\"wp-block-uagb-countdown__label\">SECONDS<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:135px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-advanced-heading uagb-block-5371030b\"><h2 class=\"uagb-heading-text\">Why Are We Doing This?<\/h2><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>The Wanderer\u2019s 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 &#8211; especially emerging ones &#8211; to engage deeply with themes of care, kinship, sacrifice, and belonging. Through this initiative, Wanderer\u2019s Path Publishers aims to support literary talent, strengthen Africa\u2019s storytelling ecosystem, and contribute meaningfully to the cultural conversations that shape who we are and how we care for one another.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-advanced-heading uagb-block-f3f4ef3e\"><h2 class=\"uagb-heading-text\">Submission Criteria<\/h2><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To be considered for The Wanderer\u2019s Path Publishers Short Story Competition, all submissions must meet the following criteria:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Genre &amp; Theme<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Submissions must be fictional short stories<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The story must respond to the competition theme: Non-Romantic Love<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol start=\"2\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Eligibility<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Open to writers 18 years and above<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Open to both unpublished and previously published works, provided the author retains full copyright<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One submission per author<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Joint or group submissions are not permitted<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol start=\"3\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Word Count<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Stories must be between 3,000 and 5,000 words<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol start=\"4\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Formatting Requirements<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Font: Times New Roman, 12 pt<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Spacing: Double-spaced<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Margins: 1 inch on all sides<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Page numbers: Bottom center or bottom right<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol start=\"5\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>File Format &amp; Naming<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Accepted file formats: .doc or .docx<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">File name format: Lastname_Firstname_Title.docx<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Avoid special characters in file names<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol start=\"6\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Cover Page Details<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Each submission must include a cover page with:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Title of the story<br>Author\u2019s full name<br>Email address and phone number<br>Word count<br>Short author bio (optional)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol start=\"7\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Language &amp; Style<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Submissions must be written in standard English (UK or US spelling)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Correct grammar, punctuation, and spelling are required<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Minimal text styling (italics, bold, capitals only where necessary)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol start=\"8\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Submission Method<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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 &#8211; &#8220;Author&#8217;s Name&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Authors must indicate whether the work is published or unpublished<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol start=\"9\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Rights &amp; Originality<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The work must be original and not infringe on any third-party rights<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Authors retain full copyright and moral rights to their work<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">By submitting, authors grant Wanderer\u2019s Path Publishers permission to use excerpts for competition-related promotion only<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol start=\"10\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Compliance<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Submissions that do not meet the above criteria may be disqualified without review<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">By submitting, authors confirm they have read and agree to the competition\u2019s terms and conditions<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-buttons uagb-buttons__outer-wrap uagb-btn__default-btn uagb-btn-tablet__default-btn uagb-btn-mobile__default-btn uagb-block-fd9e5be2\"><div class=\"uagb-buttons__wrap uagb-buttons-layout-wrap \">\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-buttons-child uagb-buttons__outer-wrap uagb-block-8d78795e wp-block-button\"><div class=\"uagb-button__wrapper\"><a class=\"uagb-buttons-repeater wp-block-button__link\" aria-label=\"\" href=\"mailto:awards@wandererspath.org\" rel=\"follow noopener\" target=\"_self\" role=\"button\"><div class=\"uagb-button__link\">Submit Your Short Story Here!<\/div><\/a><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Countdown to Submission Deadline Why Are We Doing This? The Wanderer\u2019s Path Publishers Short Story Competition is rooted in our [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"disabled","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-2756","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":false,"thumbnail":false,"medium":false,"medium_large":false,"large":false,"1536x1536":false,"2048x2048":false,"woocommerce_thumbnail":false,"woocommerce_single":false,"woocommerce_gallery_thumbnail":false},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Wandpath","author_link":"https:\/\/www.wandererspath.org\/new\/author\/wandpath\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Countdown to Submission Deadline Why Are We Doing This? The Wanderer\u2019s Path Publishers Short Story Competition is rooted in our [&hellip;]","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wandererspath.org\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2756","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wandererspath.org\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wandererspath.org\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wandererspath.org\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wandererspath.org\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2756"}],"version-history":[{"count":22,"href":"https:\/\/www.wandererspath.org\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2756\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2822,"href":"https:\/\/www.wandererspath.org\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2756\/revisions\/2822"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wandererspath.org\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2756"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}