GTBank launches contest to help writers secure publishing deals

Guaranty Trust Bank plc, Nigeria’s leading bank has launched a competition tagged ‘Dusty Manuscript Contest’ to give budding writers the opportunity to win publishing deals for their finished, but yet-to-be published, manuscripts.

According to a statement, the competition organized in partnership with publishing houses Okadabooks and Farafina, to address the challenges indigenous writers face getting their books published.

According to the statement, the top three entries in the contest will be rewarded with publishing contracts with Farafina as well cash rewards. The top 10 entries will get their books e-published by Okadabooks, including book cover design, book editing, and publicity. The top 25 book authors will also get a two-day boot camp training on writing, marketing and branding.

The statement said entries in the Dusty Manuscript Contest will be assessed by a panel of four judges which includes Eghosa Imasuen, the author of widely acclaimed novel, Fine Boys, and Yejide Kilanko, a poet and therapist in children’s mental health, Dr Ainehi Edoro-Glines, an Assistant Professor of English Language and Toni Kan, a writer and PR executive whose collection of short stories, Nights of a Creaking Bed, won the NDDC/Ken Saro Wiwa prize for literature.

The bank said the contest was part of its YouREAD initiative aimed at promoting the culture of reading.

“The Dusty Manuscript Contest is the latest in a long line of GTBank initiatives geared towards promoting the appreciation of Art and supporting creative potential. In 2017 the Bank remodelled the old Herbert Macaulay Library, Yaba into a state of the art learning and recreational facility that would give people in the community and beyond the opportunity to build capacity, gain exposure and connect with the world. The remodelled library has been the venue of regular book readings and art expositions organized under the YouREAD initiative,” the bank said.

Mr Segun Agbaje, the Managing Director of Guaranty Trust Bank plc was quoted as saying, “At GTBank we see art as not just a medium for creative expression but also as a means of livelihood, and by organizing the Dusty Manuscript Contest we are helping budding writers make a living off their works.

“By addressing the major barrier that our indigenous writers face in sharing their stories with the world, we hope to inspire and develop the next generation of award-winning and globally renowned authors.”

Guaranty Trust Bank plc is a leading African financial institution with vast business interests spanning West and East Africa, as well as the United Kingdom. The Bank has an Asset Base of over 3.213 trillion, Shareholders’ funds of 581.91 billion and employs over 10,000 people in Nigeria, Gambia, Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Cote d’Ivoire, Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya, Tanzania and the United Kingdom.

GTBank launches contest to help writers secure publishing deals