Call For Applications: Sprinng Writing Fellowship Online Mentorship Program

Sprinng Writing Fellowship is an intensive 6-week online mentorship program for developing Nigerian, Ghanaian, Liberian, and South African writers, ages 18 – 25, who have not published a book.

The Sprinng Writing Fellowship (SWF) is an intensive 6-week online mentorship program for developing Nigerian, Ghanaian, Liberian, and South African writers with great potential and willingness to learn.

This fellowship focuses on 6 genres of literature: Poetry, Fiction, Non-Fiction, Book Review, Play/Drama, and Blogging. During the 6 weeks, mentees will be in contact with their mentors, sending them their works and getting reviews and commentaries. Mentors and mentees will aim to work on at least 1 piece of writing in their select genre per week. The Spring Writing Fellowship is only open to writers (18-25) who have not published a book before (eBook/hardcopy).

The medium of communication between the mentors and mentees throughout this program will be via email, phone calls, WhatsApp, and text messages. In addition, all mentees will be provided weekly airtime during the program.

Sprinng is collaborating with Pepper Coast Literary to help enhance the fellowship visibility this year. In the past years, SprinNG has collaborated with the Contemporary Ghanaian Writers Series (CGWS) and Botsotso to spotlight the fellowship’s expansion.

Fellowship Eligibility

Must be a Nigerian, Ghanaian, Liberian, or South African citizen
Must reside in Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia, or South Africa
Must be between the ages of 18 to 25
Have not published a book before (eBook/chapbook/hardcopy)

Selection Criteria

We are searching for Nigerian/Ghanaian/South African/Liberian writers who are goal-oriented and have the potential to develop. In selecting the mentees for the fellowship, we will consider the following:

Writers with POTENTIAL: Applicants must have basic writing skills and show the potential to develop.
Writers who are OPEN-MINDED: Applicants must demonstrate the will to receive constructive feedback.
Writers that are AMBITIOUS: Applicants must show passion and interest in developing their writing.

Fellowship Timeline

January 15 – April 15: Application opens and closes
April: Mentors will be announced
May 18: Finalists will be notified
May 21: Mentees and mentors will be paired

The Fellowship
June 1 – July 15: Fellowship Period
The mentorship program is normally designed to take place over 5 weeks (June 1 – July 7). However, a grace period of one week (July 7 – July 14) has been added for any mentor who is interested in extending the program beyond 5 weeks.

July 15 – 20: Programme rounds up
August: Mentees’ profiles and program reports will be released
December: Publication of mentees anthology

What Happens After the Fellowship?

Fellows and alumni of the Sprinng Fellowships have gone on to accomplish great things after completing our program! Some of our program outcomes reported by fellows include:

Accepting admission to pursue a higher degree.
Securing a new job in the writing or publishing industry.
Establishing a literary organization, platform, or community.
Publishing a book (print, e-book, or chapbook).
Publishing three or more works (individual pieces) on literary platforms within a year.
Receiving recognition with a writing, literature, or publishing-related award.
Mentoring or teaching a writing-related course or topic (including individual mentorship).
Completing a writing, literature, or publishing-related course.
Participating in three or more literary events, such as readings, panels, or conferences within a year.
Editing or writing a foreword for an anthology slated for publication.