Creative Writing Competition
THEME:

Peace and justice:

Stories of yesterday, today and tomorrow

SUBTHEMES:

• Embracing diversity (political tolerance, cultural understanding, religion)

• Non-violence

• Envisioning peaceful futures

• Peace and social justice

• Women and peacebuilding

• Environmental justice

• Youth and education

National Writing Centre Creative Writing COMPETITION for university students 2024

COMPETITION BRIEF:

DUT in partnership with Stellenbosch University, University of Cape Town and WITS invite you to submit your work to our national annual creative writing competition run through a network of South African writing centres. The theme of Peace and Justice is broad and we invite you to explore it through either writing a short story, a poem, an opinion piece/essay, or a multimedia exploration combining photography and text. Submissions may be in any of our official languages. Participants are encouraged to use language creatively as used in society. A short story or opinion piece/essay should be no longer than 3 000 words and a short poem not longer than one page (I.5 spacing, 12pt, Times Roman). Please forward your submissions to Ms Shahieda Kraft (thokom@dut.ac.za) not later than the 9th of September 2024

Winners will be announced on 18 OCTOBER 2024, at a ceremony (details to follow)

Winners may be invited to a writing retreat to revise and edit their submissions, with a view to creating an anthology.

To increase your chances of doing well consult with writing centre tutors at your respective university. Two free of charge workshops will be facilitated on 25 July and 6 August. The aim of the mentorship workshops is to give the competition participants an opportunity to hone their creative writing skills through working closely with seasoned writers.

Date Title Description Type File(s)
- Writing Centre Vacancies Part-time Consultants 2026
Writing Centre Vacancies Part-time Consultants 2026

 

The Writing Centre is a student-centred space which serves all undergraduate and postgraduate students at UCT. It is dedicated to helping students improve their academic writing and communication skills. We are looking for part-time consultants from all faculties to work at the Writing Centre in 2026. While English remains the primary language of instruction and assessment at UCT, the majority of our students speak English as an additional language. In line with this, and UCT’s transforming language policy, we strongly encourage applications from students who are fluent in English and any of the South African languages, particularly isiXhosa and/or Afrikaans.  Consultants need to be competent writers who are passionate about helping other students develop as writers themselves. The position involves being available for at least 10 hours a week from 1 February to end October 2026 (we are closed over the June / July vacation).

The responsibilities of a consultant include:

  • Conducting face-to-face and online consultations (one-on-one and in groups)
  • Participating in a compulsory training programme 9 – 13 February 2025
  • Participating in weekly training meetings
  • Designing and presenting workshops
  • Writing short reports on consultations and workshops
  • Participating in other Writing Centre projects and administrative tasks

Please note: applicants need to be registered at UCT in 2026, at either the Masters,  PhD or post-Doc level. 

To apply, email your CV, cover letter and a recent sample of your academic writing (no more than 10 pages) to Arlene Archer ( Arlene.Archer@uct.ac.za.) and Cc Kendi Osano ( writingcentre@uct.ac.za).

Closing date for applications is Friday, 17 October 2025.  Interviews will take place by mid-November 2025

If you have any queries, please email Kendi ( writingcentre@uct.ac.za), call (021) 650 5021 or contact Arlene on Arlene.Archer@uct.ac.za.

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- Celebrating 20 years of The Stella Clark Teachers’ Award.

On the 7 October 2025, the Centre for Higher Education, UCT and HCI Foundation will celebrate 20 years of the Stella Clark Teachers’ Award at a retrospective event which will bring together the award-winning teachers from the last twenty years, past UCT students who have nominated them, people from across the education sector and academics. As we mark World Teachers’ Day, the award will foreground the value and impact of excellent teachers and reflect on the ways in which new teachers and academics can learn from the award-winning teachers’ practices. 

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