BBC Hausa Service has called for entries for the 2021 short story writing competition.
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.
The contest welcomes works of fiction from women writing Hausa, and entries should be between 1000 to 1500 words.
BBC News Hausa editor, Aliyu Tanko, says details of guidelines for the competition will be made available on the website- bbchausa.com when the competition opens.
“A winner will be selected by an independent panel of judges who will also select two runners-up and other works worthy of commendation,” he said.
“We’ve recorded tremendous success with this competition since its inception six years ago.
“‘Hikayata has given so many women a voice, a stage and above all one of the most outstanding platforms to share their talent.
“Last year, we had an unprecedented 400 entries from all over the world and I’m hoping this year’s will be even greater,” he added.
Oluwatoyosi Ogunseye, Head of BBC West Africa Languages, says: “I am delighted that we are once again running Hikayata.
“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.
“It is a real pleasure to see how the writers’ lives have changed since entering the competition and is testament to why it is so important to highlight female writers.”
Last year’s completion 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 whose husband returns from a trip exhibiting all the symptoms of COVID-19.
Although his wife is heavily pregnant, he refuses to isolate himself and remains in denial of the disease.
Azima locks him in a room but soon finds out she has already contracted COVID-19 from her husband. This leads to the loss of her baby and a long battle for her life.
The first edition was won by Sansanin ’Yan Gudun Hijira, a story narrating the plight of the victims of the Boko Haram crisis.
Entries should be submitted to labari.bbchausa@bbc.co.uk which will close on August 16th.