The Bessie Head Literature Awards

The Bessie Head Heritage Trust, together with Pentagon Publishers, is pleased to announce the 2011 Bessie Head Literature Awards for Novel, Short Story, and Poetry. Contestants must post their submissions by 21 March 2011; judges will announce the winners in mid-June; and the Trust will present its Awards in July 2011. The Trust's complete press release may be downloaded here.

Please note that every year we offer substantial prizes for best novel and best short story. In odd-numbered years we offer a poetry prize; in even-numbered years a prize for best children's story. Thus in the 2011 competition, the category "Poetry" replaces "Children's Story".

The most recent competition, in 2010, attracted a record number of entries — no fewer than 44. See the Trusts's Announcement of Winners and the press release about the awards ceremony on 26 June 2010 at the National Museum in Gaborone.

The first competition was held in 2007. A devoted Committee undertook the work of organising the inaugural contest and judging the entries even before we became a Trust. The first awards were presented at the BessieFest 2007 in Serowe, and a number of the winning entries have since been published by Pentagon Publishers.

 
Why we honour Bessie Head
The Bessie Head Literature Awards are sponsored by Pentagon Publishers and administered by the Bessie Head Heritage Trust. The Trust was established in June 2007 to promote the life and work of Bessie Head both here and abroad. We believe this competition is important for two reasons: (a) to help preserve Bessie Head's legacy in Botswana, since she is our country’s most famous writer who has gained broad recognition overseas; and (b) to encourage the development of local literature in various genres in English.

Bessie Head herself was generous with her time when students asked her for assistance and advice, and we believe that this generosity is best reflected in a vigorous effort to promote literature and reading in Botswana.