1. Introduction
This is an annual short story writing competition that accepts fictional stories from Malawians of ages ranging from 16-35. The inaugural competition was in 2021 and the 2022 is the second edition of the competition. In a society where the reading and writing culture is slowly fading, this competition is meant to revive the same and as well as provide writers with a platform to showcase their talents.
While last year had an open theme, this year the theme will be limited to stories that talk about Malawian culture and society with the aim of telling our stories and contributing to preserving our cultural heritage through told folktales. The hope is that these stories can share the experiences of a Malawian in both the contemporary and old Malawian society.
The short story competition was announced on 21st April, 2021 last year with a sponsorship of MK500, 000 from Bradley and Teely Financial Consultants. A second anonymous sponsor added MK125, 000. Winner, Emmanuel Kaison from Lilongwe won MK200, 000 and was announced at a ceremony at Golden Peacock Hotel in Blantyre.
This year the competition will run from July to October, 2022 and the winning story will be awarded one million Kwacha.
- Nominations and Winning Prizes
Unlike in last year’s competition where we had ten nominations and five winners, the second edition will have seven nominees and three winners prized as follows;
-
- Winner- One Million Kwacha (MK1,000,000)
- Second Prize- Three Hundred Thousand Kwacha (MK300,000)
- Third Prize- Two Hundred Thousand Kwacha (MK200,000)
- Important Dates
The competition will take place from 25th July to 15th October, 2022 with the following key dates;
3.1. On Thursday, 28th July, 2022 the competition will be announced and opened to the public to start sending stories.
3.2. On Friday, 5th August, 2022 a call for judges will be announced.
3.3. On Friday, 26th August judges of the competition will be announced
3.4. On Sunday, 28th August the competition will stop receiving short stories (deadline)
3.5. Between Monday, 29th August and Monday, 26th September judges will review stories and submit their best stories to the chief judge.
3.6. On Monday, 3rd October 7 nominated short stories will be announced to the general public.
3.7. On Monday, 3rd October, the venue and date of the prize ceremony will be announced.
3.8. On Saturday, 15th October, winners will be announced at a ceremony.
- Instructions of The Competition
The short story competition accepts short stories from Malawians who are resident in Malawi at the time they submit the stories. The following are the eligibility rules to submit a story;
4.1. Story must be on any topic but touch on African and Malawian culture and society.
4.2. The winners of the previous competition are not eligible to submit their stories.
4.3. Short story must be not less than 2,000 words but not exceeding 3,000 words.
4.4. Entrants must be aged between 16-35 at the time they submit their story.
4.5. Entrants must be a Malawian citizens resident in Malawi.
4.6. Story must be in century gothic font, font size 12 and line spacing 1.5 submitted in PDF.
4.7. Story must be the entrants original story not published in any form before 29 August, 2022.
4.8. Submitted document must have the entrants name, title, phone number, age and email address.
4.9. Story must be in English and meet all rules of grammar and academic literature.
4.10. A story that does not meet all of above rules will be disqualified.
- Submission
Click on this portal and follow instructions to submit not later than 28th August, 2022 midnight. Late submissions will not be entertained. ONLY stories submitted via the portal will be entertained.
Count me !!!!! I’m inn… can’t wait to grab my 1 million
Nice one Boss. We are in🔥🔥
I would like to participate in the competition mentioned above
Great intervention mr p keep it up
Great news for the nation.
am interested like seriously
Let me try my luck!
Nice! Mr Pee
This is a very interesting competition. Looking forward to it with so much joy
well noted
This is great move… let’s dance tonight am suggesting my Title
I wanna do this this brother share your number if possible +265992530203
Noted
Nice development Mr. Mphande. Tipange zimenezi!.
This is good I hope to join
I really like the this. I wanted to know much on the structure of the story. Should it be structured in any way depending on writers favorite structure?
Like for example, I write my stories in screenplay standard format, is that wrong in accordance to this competition ?
Well noted. Keep up the good work sir.
Interested
We really appreciate for your project 🔥🔥🔥🔥 Malawi to the World 💯🇲🇼🕊️
So what about those people that are of Malawian citizen and traveld outside Malawi for their own reasons, are they not welcome to try their luck?, Since I read that only people residing in Malawi are allowed to compe te.
Great,,,am there
What a great initiative. Thumbs Up Mr. Zeeworld ✌
I don’t quite understand this year’s theme
This is nice.
This is impressive! You’ll doing great for the country and the people in it; For you and for us … I love it.
Sounds great. I would love to understand this requirement; “Entrants must be a Malawian citizens resident in Malawi.” What about those who actually come from Malawi but are not residing in Malawi, does it mean they can’t participate in the competition?
This is so exciting Pempho. . .I know I am gonna get my k1 million. Thanks in advance.
Good move! This will indeed incite a lot of us to read hard.
This is a very good attitude that can promote Malawian literature.
Please continue doing this. It is the basis for Malawian socioeconomic development.
Thanks for the opportunity Sir, you are an excellent man and a virtuous citizen of the republic.
Pemphero never go into politics. This is where you’re called to serve. All the best to the invoved parties. This is Africa and Malawi we want, let’s preserve our culture.
This is awesome competition as it stimulates the art of reading and writing in people’s mindsets.
The submission portal is not working. Would you please check it or kindly elaborate how one can submit the story. When you click on the submit button it simply brings down a blank page with no options for pasting or uploading.
Lemme shoot my shot..!
I wish the portal had a feedback mechanism to the email address provided. Coz others may end up submitting the same “form” multiple times because once you submit it takes you back to the form as if you should submit again with the “submit” button still there
Verify the submission portal Mr Mphande through your ICT Team. Failing to submit the literature. When I am on the submission portal, on the left side there’s ‘Pemphero Mphande’ icon and on the far right end, there’s another icon constituting #Home and below it there’s #Submit. Clicking ‘Submit’ it is not working or going further. Have been trying but to no avail.
Verify the portal. Failing to submit the literature. When I am on the submission portal on the left side there’s ‘Pemphero Mphande’ icon and on far right end there’s another icon constituting #Home and below it there’s #Submit. Clicking ‘Submit’ it is not working or going further. Have been trying but to no avail.
we are failing to submit our stories, the web page is blank.
Submission portal siikutheka bwana
This is so nice and good development Sir Mphande. Keep up the good work Mr. We salute you for this opportunity you all offer to youths. God bless.
I may like this competition
I may like this competition
🎭 we do it bro
I liked it , and keep it up !!!!!
Your portal is not working pempho
Welcome development
Wow,,, nice idea
Impressive
Thanks for this wonderful opportunity
Will love this
I have gone through the submission portal, it is easy and network friendly portal. No one should fail to submit his or her stories because of failure to understand the submission procedure. Its is very easy with only 45 mbs.
Noted
This is really beautiful, it will help us, Malawians to be exposed to many words, hence this will improving our writing skills.
Great
Noted
This is awesome and nice development… U really hoping good for the youth
Some of us have never been to the university corridors that means we are competing with people of different education background.
Consideration need to matter if you are to motivate people of different levels
Let the competition begin 🎉🎉
This is a welcome development in as far as writing culture is concerned. This move will unearth many talent and from them, the hidden curtural stories will be exposed to many within Mother Malawi and across its borders.
Thanx for this line of thinking Mr. P
This is good initiative indeed. If we would have such initiatives in Malawi, we could see many people pay attention to reading n writing culture thereby improving reading and writing skills and knowledge.
Those who are claiming to be graduates but government is not giving them 1 million jobs it promised during campaign, I think this is their chance to participate n get something for their capital for businesses.
RUN FOR MY LIFE
It was a sunny bright wedsday morning, when I receive a call from a new client, he asked me if I can install his surveillance camera system around his house, he claimed to have bought the system already with additional cameras. He insisted he is leaving same day to another city, he needed me to stop whatever I was doing and he will pay me extra, to go to him and get the system working same day,
I rushed to the location he gave me, it was a very good beautiful big house, alluminum gate, electric fence on top of brick fence, Twoo security guard on the gate,
I could see a guy working in the garden, it felt as high security compoun.
I told the security guard I have been called to install surveillance cameras system.
The security told me to wait a moment, he go inside, after about 5 minutes of waiting, the security came back, he ask me to get out of my car, he searched my car, he asked me to open the boot, he search the boot,
Then he searched me, after he was convinced am not a security threat, he open the gate and let me.
As I drive in another security was already in front of me directing where exactly I must park my car, to be honest, I was a bit scared, since am already in and defenceless, so I just carry on and cooperate,
I get out of my car, waited as the security guard went again to the main door of the house,
Minutes later the security told me to go inside the house.
The moment I enter the house, my eyes go straight to a man ,seat on single sofa leather seat, and a woman supposedly his wife sat next to him.
The man stood up, he was short mascular man, with cut scar on his face that run from forehead across the eye all the way to the cheek.
I am JOE, the man said as he extended his has to sheck my hand, I extended my hand too and said, I am the CAMERA MAN, he laugh, and then he kept a sincere smile on his face, which brought some confort to my min.
The mighty Joe said, he is late, he was supposed to left 20 minutes ago but he was waiting for me, then he said, ” let me show you the equipment and where I want you install them and the angles I want to view, then I can go and will leave you doing the job”.
We left the lounge area, I followed him all the way to the garage, he showed me the whole cameras and accessories he bought,
He walk with me the whole outside showing me sites he wanna view,
Then he take me back into the house, show me some places he want to be covered inside the house, of which was corridor leading to the bedrooms and spare rooms, the whole lounge and also the kitchen area, what I find wild is he wanted a camera to capture all toilet doors,
He ask me for one more camera to be place on stairs that goes up stairs,
I have installed cctv cameras in many places, but to be exact, this is the only place I find owner demands such intensive coverage,
When he was done showing me, he gave me three instructions I must follow,
First I must not tell anyone or his wife positions of cameras,
Secondary I should link the surverance through wifi to his phone and I must not give password to access the videos captured to anyone else.
Lastly, when I am done, I phone him so he can check on his phone if he can view all angles he wanted, if all done his wife will give me my pay which he mentioned and happened to be five times more than I charged him.
The man walk out of the house, me behind him as I was going to take my tool box and step ladder from my car.
On the parking lot, they were three nice cars waiting for him, he entered the back seat of the middle Audi Q7, and all three cars followed each other out of the property.
I went to my car, took my tool boxes and all I need heading back to the house, as I chose to start installing the cameras inside then do the outside, this time only wife left inside, as I entered she ask me to keep the door closed at all times as they have a cat which they don’t want to go out of the house, this information could have been true but I spent abou five hours working on that house and I never see a single cat, inside or outside, I guess the cat was sleeping all day or locked In one of the rooms, which ever the case was, I kept door closed at all times.
Moment of joy begun few minutes later as I just started.
The wife came and asked me if I need anything to eat or drink, of which I refused by saying was alright.
Moments later she asked me why we put cameras in inside the house and other questions.I followed ruled number one of the husband.
I told the lady that I know nothing of coverage or reasons, I was just asked to mount them where I was told, the rest the husband will set himself,
The wife came again and said,
Brother can I ask you a big favour or? I nodded, she said, please don’t tell my husband I ask you anything or I talked to you.
I replied that she don’t have to worry, I won’t do that,.
I could see a sign of relief on her face.
The wife came again, this time she said, it’s amazing how her husband trusted me,
She said her husband is very very jealous and protective man. she is not even allowed to talk or chat with security guards or gardener, she said they got taxi bussines, when drivers are coming to cash out and husband is not there, the husband insist they just leave money on door and go no talking with wife, she said even her car, the husband installed double tracker and he sees everywhere she go, she can’t leave the house without husband approval, she said she got no time even to spend with a friend, she can’t just visit any family members without proper procedures, she is not allowed to go seat or have a walk in a garden if she is home alone and kids are at school. She said to me despite having everything money can buy or she need, but she still feel like a slave.
I told her she can be my friend and is easy to spend time with me, she insisted that it was impossible, as her husband knows her real location at all times and he checks her phone regularly.
I quickly noticed this woman is lonely, her husband give her a lot of money but she gets little attention of a man, I also realise she wish she can have some fun ,problem is she got no way.
As we chat, she said to me once the children come from school at three pm, she will not talk to me again or come closer, so she insisted we discuss everything that time while we got chance,
She wanted to have my number and I take her number, but she could not as it was high risk for the husband is dangerous man.
Then I quickly come up with a plan which she believe it will work and safe.
I told her to write my number on a paper, and try to memories it before her husband come back, and this time he went to another city for bussines and expected to stay there for a week.
And I take her number, then I told her, I will never never ever start to call her ,message or what’s app.
Only her when she is alone and free, then she can take my number from her brain to the phone and greet me, after we finish every time she must delete chats, calls and delete my number from the phone.
She agreed and she said am clever, well we did.
She then ask me to have airtime always and when she tell me to call I did because her phone was on contract and every month her husband received an email statement of all calls and numbers and charges the woman made , so my number should never be there,
I forgot about work, we sat on steps that goes upstairs and just talk, then she said she believes her husband got many women who satisfied him, because he could stay weeks without touching or making love to the wife.I asked her how long has it passed by that day without entering the garden of eden, she said about three weeks by then,
I asked if she missed it, and she said yes but she got no choice.
She looked at me, and said am a nice guy, she hugged me, I hold and and never let go, I started moving my arms other parts of the body and got no resistance, and she started moving her arms around me, this time I realised, if this is my doom day let it be, as I was not sure if the husband already had hidden cameras in the house,.
We stand up and go upstairs to bedroom when magic happened.
Unplanned situation,
I left her on the bed sleeping as she was flat tired and wanted to rest.
I go down stairs continue with my job, then after all my job finished I go wake her up to pay me and I left.
Three weeks later she contacted me that she is going to buy groceries alone, I met her at the mall, we left her car on the more for husband to see on tracker the car is at the more, and I took her to my house where we repeated the action and take her back to the mall. We continued like this for about three months,
until the fourth month when it was her birthday.
Her husband bought her a new expensive phone.
The trouble began when her husband restored what’s app messages from back up.
All the messages I chatted with her and were automatically back upp before she deleted them came up.
The husband read everything then the husband sent me a message like is a wife, he said, love am free today, I can’t remember ur house if I come alone give me adress and I will come there with another car,
I did sent her my location and house number.
I was so happy,
Few minutes later I received a call from a number I don’t know,
When I answered, it was that woman,
She whispered quickly, saying leave your house now, my husband got our messages on back app, he is the one send you message that am coming, as am talking to you he is busy organizing his gang boys to come there and kill you.
It was the middle of the month, nowhere to go, one think I knew was that I have less than one hour to take what I can and run for my life.
I started parking what I can on my car but my Car was small, I phone a guy for bakkie hire, he ask me where I am going, I said brother let’s just park now I will tell you, we loaded my things in my car and hired bakkie without knowing where am going.
After loading I told the bakkie driver to follow me.
While I was driving, I was busy on Facebook market place looking for place to rent,
I kept driving round and round and the bakkie driver started losing his temper,
I ended up finding a place on market place,
I went to see the house with my things and rent money, just pay and occupy the house same time.
I would wish this to continue and be it done annually.
I’m interested
Interested as well
If necessary please after the closure of receiving the stories may you publish a short list of stories that have qualified for the competition. So that those that their stories have been disqualified may be aware of it
Just submitted mine😀😀. Fingers crossed now
Understand
Am failing to submit my story since morning
I couldn’t publish my story yesterday due to connectivity issues. Can I submit it today?
A great thing.
Hello I send my story on 25 August but I did not receive any confirmation message. Can you help to know if it was successful submitted
How do I know that my submission has been successful? Coz now am desperate as haven’t received any confirmation of successful submission. Reply to the email attached below 👇
Wow on ce
Will the nominated stories be announced on Facebook?
May I know winners?
Hello this is a great idea offering a platform for story writers to showcase their writing talent.