Calibre Essay Prize 2018 | Mahfouz Adedimeji

Australian Book Review welcomes entries in the twelfth Calibre Essay Prize. The Calibre Prize, founded in 2007, is one of the world’s leading prizes for an original non-fiction essay. It is now worth a total of $7,500. Entry is open to anyone in the world who is writing in English. The winning essay will be published in ABR’s 400th issue in April 2018.

Benefits

First Prize: $5,000
Second Prize: $2,500

Eligibilities

All essays must be written in English
Essays must be between 3,000 and 6,000 words
You may illustrate your essay, but the total file size should not exceed 3 MB
Entries must be single-authored
Essays can be on any non-fiction subject

Submission Deadline: January 15, 2018

Visit Official Website

About the Author

Aptly described by the Independent newspaper as “a man of many parts”, Dr Mahfouz A. Adedimeji is a Fulbright scholar, interdisciplinary researcher, university don, public affairs analyst, language specialist, communication consultant, peace advocate, interfaith worker and public intellectual. He obtained his academic degrees in English from the University of Ilorin, Ilorin. He started his academic career at Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso, shortly after which he joined the services of his alma mater, the University of Ilorin. A man of eclectic academic background, Dr Adedimeji was educated in Arabic and Islamic Studies at Markaz Shabaabil Islam, Iwo, Osun State and Markaz Ta’aleemil Araby, Agege, Lagos. He obtained advanced training in education, political science, communication, research writing and peace studies at the National Universities Commission’s (NUC) Virtual Institute for Higher Education Pedagogy (VIHEP), UNESCO’s Virtual Institute for Higher Education in Africa (VIHEAF), Governors State University, University Park, Illinois, USA; University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana; and Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, Notre Dame University, South Bend, Indiana, USA. Apart from serving as a cultural ambassador to the US under the auspices of the Institute of International Education (IIE), New York, Dr Adedimeji has won the research awards and grants of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) of the National Research Council, Nigeria, the Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA) and the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU). He has written extensively for a wide range of newspapers and periodicals including Unilorin Bulletin, Unilorin Watch, Delight, National Pilot, Daily Independent, Newswatch Times and New Telegraph, among others. A versatile academic, he has attended academic conferences and undertaken research across universities in several parts of Nigeria as well as Ghana, Cameroon, Kenya, Malaysia, Sierra Leone, Australia, France and United States of America. His hundreds of academic and general articles have been published across outlets in Nigeria and beyond. He has also facilitated and participated in seminars and workshops both nationally and internationally. A former Deputy Director/ Head of the Directorate of Corporate Affairs of the University of Ilorin, Dr Adedimeji has been the Director of the Centre for Centre for Peace and Strategic Studies, University of Ilorin, since 2013. He has consulted for the Nigeria Inter-religious Council (NIREC), the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence and Corps (NSCDC) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). For years, he has been a Coordinator of the Executive Management Course of the Nigerian Army Education Corps (NAEC) and Editor-in-Chief of the "Journal of Peace, Security and Development", University of Ilorin. He is a recipient of several awards and honours including those of the American Biographical Institute, National Congress of Nigerian Students (NACONS), Union of Campus Journalists, University of Ilorin, the Nigerian Army Education Corps, the Nigerian Defence Academy, Postgraduate Students Association, UNILORIN, Muslim Students Society of Nigeria (MSSN), UNILORIN, Students' Union, UNILORIN, and National Association of Osun State Students (NAOSS), just to mention a few. A Fellow of the Institute of Corporate Administration, Nigeria, and member of the Governing Council of the International Peace Research Association (IPRA) Dr Adedimeji is a member of the Executive Council of the English Scholars Association of Nigeria. He is also a member of the Society for Peace Studies and Practice (SPSP) and Fulbright Alumni Association of Nigeria (FAAN).