The Novelist Sponsorship program provides a monthly stipend  of $300 USD (317,000 MWK as of 28 October 2023) to a selected Malawian author in order to remove the financial barrier authors in Malawi face. The end goal is for the author to produce a novel that represents Malawi around 150 pages long (45,000-50,000 words total).  If people from other countries read this novel, they should gain an understanding of Malawian life and culture.

Writers who apply for this program should have relevant education and experience with fiction writing.  They need to develop a creative and unique idea about a novel they would like to write.  The novel must take place in Malawi, and feature primarily Malawian characters.  

The selected author will work throughout a period of 12 months to write their novel.  The timeline below outlines the work that will be due each month.  Once the work for the month has been submitted, and has been deemed to be of high quality, the $300 USD stipend for the month will be sent.  No money will be sent prior to receiving the monthly assignment, and poor quality work will need to be improved before receiving payment.

In order to be successful in the sponsorship, you must have regular access to a computer, and occasional access to the internet.  You should be able to type well in order to meet the monthly word requirements for the novel.  Handwritten work will not be accepted.

Both Open Opportunity and the selected author will have the right to publish the novel once it is completed.  You will not be required to publish any copies yourself (but you can if you want to), and Open Opportunity may publish the novel in both online and in print format. You will be required to sign an agreement consenting to this at the beginning of the sponsorship.  

PLEASE NOTE:  The application is a Google Form that requires documents to be uploaded.  In order to do this, you must apply from a Gmail account.  If you do not have one, you can create one for free at Google.