Programme Supports 79 Editors and Language Specialists Across South Africa’s Official Languages

Entries are now open, link at the bottom of the page. Source: Supplied.

For writers, publishers, and editorial professionals sitting on the fence: grant funding is available across all three application streams, with deadlines arriving in June.

Four cycles, measurable impact

Over the first three cycles twenty-four publishing companies have moved manuscripts through the programme. Seventy-nine editors, assessors, and language specialists across South Africa’s official languages have been supported to evaluate and develop new works. Entries have grown year on year — and the fourth cycle is the most ambitious yet, targeting new literary works.

Among the 91 published works to date: twelve exist in Braille and fifteen as audiobooks — extending South African storytelling to readers who are visually impaired and opening up audiences the publishing sector has historically struggled to reach. Perhaps most significantly, five titles have been published in Khoi and San languages — Khwedam, !Xuhnthali, and Nama — languages with almost no other formal publishing infrastructure in the country.

The gap the programme addresses is well-documented. Despite 11 official languages, the overwhelming majority of commercially published South African titles remain in English or Afrikaans. The DSAC Publishing Hub is a direct, funded response to that imbalance — and the results are on the shelf.

Three ways to apply — All grant-funded

The fourth cycle is open across three distinct streams, each carrying direct financial support:

For authors:

— Twenty five thousand rand grant per selected manuscript

— Editorial mentorship and development support throughout production

— Publication in print, and where eligible, audiobook or Braille format

— Open to South African citizens writing in any official language

— Women, youth under 35, and writers with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply

For publishers:

— Eighty thousand rand per manuscript — covering editing, design, printing, and distribution

— Access to a curated pool of evaluated manuscripts and authors

— Opportunity to build an indigenous-language catalogue with direct government support

For selection managers:

— Financially supported roles for editors, literary assessors, and language specialists

— Positions available across all 11 official languages

— A direct route into the national literary development pipeline

Eligible manuscript genres include novels, poetry anthologies, short story collections, drama, narrative non-fiction, biography, history, politics, sport, health, and children’s or young adult literature. Religious texts, self-help, novelettes, and film or television scripts are excluded.

Manuscripts must be original, unpublished, and not translated. One submission per applicant per financial year. Previous author beneficiaries are ineligible for three years.

Selections will be announced in August 2026, with publication scheduled between October 2026 and March 2027.

Apply here.