Hope for budding writers as GTBank unveils manuscript contest

Akeem Lasisi

For many budding writers aspiring to get their manuscripts published, there is hope in the air as Guaranty Trust Bank Plc has unveiled a competition called the Dusty  Manuscript Contest.

One of the symbolic things to happen to winners is getting their manuscripts published by the bank and its partners.

According to the company, the competition organised in partnership with Okadabooks and Farafina, both publishing firms, is part of its YouREAD initiative, aimed at promoting the reading culture.

At the unveiling of the initiative at the Hebert Macaulay Library, Sabo, Yaba, Lagos on Wednesday, GTBank said the Dusty Manuscript Contest was the latest in a long line of GTBank initiatives geared towards promoting the appreciation of the arts and supporting creative potential.

It added in a statement, “In 2017 the bank remodelled the old Herbert Macaulay Library 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 organised under the YouREAD initiative.”

GTBank’s  Managing Director, Mr. Segun Agbaje, said the project was one of the company’s ways to grow literature and culture.

Agbaje said, “At GTBank we see art as not just a medium for creative expression but also as a means of livelihood, and by organising 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.”

According to them, with the Dusty Manuscript Contest, the bank is seeking to address the challenges indigenous writers face getting their books published. 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.To submit a manuscript, interested writers are to visit csr.gtbank.com/dustymanuscript.

The competition will be judged by Eghosa Imasuen, author of acclaimed novel, Fine Boys; 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.

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