The CODE Burt Award in Kenya is coordinated by the National Book Development Council of Kenya (NBDCK), a Kenyan organization supporting the development of a reading culture in Kenya. CODE has been working with NBDCK to support literacy development programming in primary schools in western Kenya since 2009.
Kenya has a number of established publishers and a growing publishing industry. There is a large pool of talented writers in the country, yet a clear need for relevant and appropriate reading materials to be available for youth to build and reinforce their literacy skills, and foster a love of reading.
Six professionals will judge the submissions. The jury members are carefully selected on the basis of their knowledge and expertise in literature, linguistics, publishing and writing. Manuscripts submitted by Kenyan writers are evaluated and judged on an individual basis. A week-long deliberation process takes place shortly after the competition closes to determine the top three finalists. After the manuscripts are further worked on by the authors together with publishers and are ready to be published, the short-listed manuscripts are evaluated again and the order of 1st, 2nd and 3rd place is determined.
Writers win monetary awards of $9,000 for first prize, $7,000 for second prize and $5,000 for third prize (CAD), while publishers receive a guaranteed purchase of 3,000 copies of each title. In addition, publishers print an additional 2,000 copies to market and sell commercially.
The Burt Award will help develop writers’ skills in Kenya by offering writers’ workshops. These workshops, held for aspiring writers and editors, are designed to address the need to build up writers’ skills in producing fiction specifically for youth.
The National Book Development Council of Kenya will distribute the titles to more than 75 schools and community libraries throughout the country. Publishers together with the National Book Development Council will promote the titles in schools and the greater community through activities such as the radio and live dramatizations of the stories and essay-writing contests in schools.
The National Book Development Council of Kenya
PO Box 10904- 00100
Nairobi, Kenya
Tel: 254 020 272 1876
Email: info@nationalbookcouncilkenya.org
Facebook: @nbdck
Accra, Ghana and Ottawa, Canada, August 31, 2018 – CODE and the Ghana Book Trust proudly announce the winner, the honour book, and the finalists of the 2018 Burt Award for African Young Adult Literature, which recognizes outstanding writing for young adults by African authors, at an award ceremony at the Ghana International Book Fair in Accra, Ghana. The international jury received a total of 17...
Are you passionate about the creative process of young adult literature? Are you looking for an opportunity to work alongside African and Caribbean book creators and mentor their creative process? If you answered yes, then this opportunity is for you! CODE is seeking volunteer editors to mentor African and Caribbean authors, editors, and publishers whose manuscripts are eligible to compete in the...
Accra, Ghana July 31, 2018 – The Ghana Book Trust (GBT) and CODE are delighted to announce the finalists for the 2018 CODE Burt Award for African Young Adult Literature. This year, Ghana Book Trust received 17 submissions from publishers in Ghana, Kenya, Ethiopia and Tanzania. The five-member jury made up of publishing and writing professionals from each of the program countries and Canada, met...