The Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC), in collaboration with the Academic and Non-Fiction Authors Association of South Africa (ANFASA), has opened the 2026/27 call for manuscript submissions for the DSAC Publishing Hub, an industry stimulus initiative to support authors, revitalise the books and publishing sector, and encourage the creation of new literature that tells South African stories and preserves our heritage.
The programme aims to sustain the creation of significant literature across a wide range of genres, with particular emphasis on works written in previously marginalised official languages.
Funding
Successful authors will receive R25,000Â for content development. In addition, each selected author will be paired with a publisher to assist them through the full production and publishing process.
Up to 20 books will be published in total, and 2 of the selected titles will be converted to braille to accommodate the visually impaired community.
Categories
The selection panel will consider manuscripts written in any of the 11 official South African languages across the following categories:
Novels
Poetry Anthologies
Short Story Anthologies
Drama Books
Narrative Non-Fiction (including politics, current affairs, history, military history, sport, true crime, biographies/autobiographies, health and well-being, humour, and business and personal finance)
Children's and Young Adult Books (without illustrations)
Please note that the selection panel will not consider submissions in the following categories: religion, television and film scripts, novelettes and novellas, and self-help or motivational scripts.
Eligibility
Manuscripts must be written in any of the official South African languages
Submissions are open to individual authors
An independent selection panel will assess all applications and recommend qualifying manuscripts to award a diverse group of authors across subjects and genres
Application information
Deadline: 26 June 2026
For more information, visit the DSAC website or the ANFASA website.
To submit your application, click here.
Download and read through the official guidelines carefully before submitting.
Your funding experts
InterArts Funding offers its expertise to assist you in applying for grant opportunities (including this one), leveraging our extensive experience to enhance your chances of securing the grant. It is important to clarify that InterArts Funding is an independent entity and is not affiliated with any specific funding organisation. While we have a commendable track record of success, we cannot guarantee the approval of your application. Grant outcomes depend on various factors beyond our control.