A literary competition to celebrate Indian Ocean talent

The call for entries for the 4th ᵉ edition of the Indianoceania Prize is open until February 15, 2025, inviting authors from the IOC member islands to submit their manuscripts.

Launched in 2018 by the Reunion department and the Indian Ocean Commission (IOC), the contest continues to grow and strengthen its impact in the region’s literary world. Its objective is to enhance the common heritage of the five IOC islands (Madagascar, Comoros, Reunion, Seychelles and Mauritius). It is also a matter of showcasing the literary talents of these regions and promoting the French language.

The President of the Departmental Council of La Réunion, Cyrille Melchior, underlines the importance of this new edition, saying that it embodies « our commitment to make voices, texts, words … heard together ». Interested authors must meet specific criteria: be at least 18 years old, reside in one of the IOC member islands and submit an original, original and written work in French. The literary genres selected for this edition are storytelling, theater, poetry, short stories and novels.

The jury, composed of members nominated by the IOC member states, will be responsible for nominating the winner. The award-winning text will then be published in approximately 500 copies and made available to the public, thereby giving the author visibility. In addition, the winner will receive a prize of 1 000 EUR, a boost to encourage literary creation in the region.

This competition has been a great success in previous editions, with nearly 60 manuscripts received each year. Many authors have received awards and recognition far beyond the region. The winners include Malagasy writer Jean-Pierre Haga Andriamampandry, Mauritian Davina Ittoo and screenwriter Sharon Paul. The now unmissable Indianoceania Prize continues to promote the diversity and literary richness of the islands in the Indian Ocean.