BBC Hausa said entries for its 2021 women short story writing competition will be closing August 22.
The broadcast station disclosed this in a statement sent to 21st CENTURY CHRONICLE on Monday.
The contest welcomes works of fiction from women writing in Hausa and entries should be between 1000-1500 words.
The short story writing competition was introduced in 2016 by BBC News Hausa as a way of encouraging women to tell and share their stories.
Details of guidelines for the competition will be made available on the BBC Hausa website- bbchausa.com when the competition opens, the statement said.
It said a winner will be selected by an independent panel of judges who will also select two runners up and other works worthy of commendation.
The winner and two runners up will each receive a cash prize and plaque at a special awards night in November.
BBC News Hausa editor, Mr Aliyu Tanko, says the contest, called Hikayata, “has given so many women a voice, a stage and above all one of the most outstanding platforms to share their talent.”
He said the broadcast station has recorded tremendous success with this competition since its inception six years ago, with over 400 entries from all over the world last year.
Head of BBC West Africa Languages, Ms Oluwatoyosi Ogunseye, says “female audiences are at the core of what the BBC offers and we will continue to support this essay writing. We value the Hausa audience who have remained loyal to the BBC.”
The 2020 edition of the contest was won by Maryam Umar, a 20-year-old law student from Sokoto.
Her story, ‘Rai da Cuta’ (Life & Sickness) tells the story of Azima, a pregnant wife, whose husband returns from a trip exhibiting all the symptoms of Covid-19, but refuses to isolate thereby infecting her, leading to the loss of her baby and a long battle for her life.
Entries should be submitted to labari.bbchausa@bbc.co.uk.
The first edition was won by Sansanin ’Yan Gudun Hijira, a story narrating the plight of the victims of the Boko Haram crisis.
