Ghanaian commercial vehicles, particularly trotros, are famous for their rear-view inscriptions. These inscriptions reflect the pulse of our streets and daily life. They are mostly unfiltered, relatable, and often unforgettable. They carry words of wisdom, warnings, humour, religious messages, protest, personal life experiences, and everyday philosophy, among others.
For this call, we’re sending you on a hunt.
Find a trotro inscription that speaks to you—one that makes you laugh, or pause, or fills you with questions, or makes you reflective. Take a picture of it and let your imagination and creativity do the rest.
On Theme & Interpretation:
We encourage bold and thoughtful interpretations. Your piece can:
- Expand the meaning of the inscription
- Tell a story behind who wrote it and why
- Explore its social, cultural, political, philosophical or emotional significance
- Challenge or contradict its message
- Let your creativity lead—literal or abstract approaches are both welcome.
- We love writers who are not afraid to be bold and experimental. So go wild.
- Give us a breath of 'Ghanainaness' in its truest form.
[READ EVERYTHING CAREFULLY. SUBMISSION FORM AT THE END. ]Accepted Genres
*Short stories
* Flash fiction
* Creative nonfiction / personal essays/ Reflective pieces / cultural commentary
* Poetry
* Hybrid pieces
Note:
* You must include a picture of the inscription that inspired your piece in the form
* Submissions must be written in English (you may include local language where relevant, but provide context or translation). We encourage the use of local languages.
Word Count
* Flash fiction: 300 – 1,000 words
* Short stories/essays/non-fiction: 1,000 – 3,000 words
* Poetry: Up to 2 poems, maximum 100 lines each
Formatting Requirements
- File format: .doc or .docx only. PDF will not be accepted.
- Font: EB Garamond, 12 pt
- Spacing: Double-spaced for prose, single-spaced for poetry.
- Include page numbers on documents.
- Add ONLY the title of the piece on the first page.
Submission Deadline: 1st June, 2026
Eligibility
- This is open only to Ghanaian writers.
At The CPG, we use ‘Ghanaian’ broadly and inclusively. You are welcome to submit if you:
- Are a Ghanaian citizen, whether living in Ghana or abroad
- Are of Ghanaian heritage or descent (including mixed heritage)
- Are a non-Ghanaian who has a strong and lived connection to Ghana, for example, by being born in Ghana and living here all your life or having had a long-term residence.
2. You must be 18 years or older.
Rights & Publication
We aim to respect and protect writers’ ownership while enabling meaningful publication.
• Copyright: You retain full copyright of your work at all times.
• Publication Rights: By submitting, you grant us non-exclusive first publication rights if your work is selected. This means we have the right to publish your piece first, after which you are free to republish it elsewhere.
• Format & Platforms: Selected works may be published in an anthology, website, social media platforms, live readings, and promotional materials related to Trotro Chronicles.
• Archival Rights: We reserve the right to keep your work accessible in our archives (e.g., website or anthology reprints), unless you formally request its removal.
• Editing: We may carry out light editorial changes (grammar, formatting, clarity). Any substantial edits will be discussed with and approved by the author before publication.
• Author Credit: All published works will be fully credited to the author (or chosen pen name).
• Simultaneous Submissions: We accept simultaneous submissions, but you must notify us immediately if your work is accepted elsewhere.
• Withdrawal: You may withdraw your submission at any time before acceptance by notifying us via email.
• Originality: Submissions must be original and not plagiarised. By submitting, you confirm that the work is yours and does not infringe on any third-party rights.
• Future Use: We may feature excerpts of selected works for promotional purposes (e.g., flyers, social posts), with full credit given to the author.
- Compensation: CPG is a volunteer-run, unfunded organisation, so we are not able to offer payment to contributors. If there are any publication deals for anthologies, reprints, etc., we will contact all contributors to discuss fair compensation.
Content Boundaries
Important guidelines about what we publish and what we cannot accept
What We Encourage
We encourage bold, honest, and boundary-pushing work. That said, CPG does not publish work that includes hate speech or explicit sexual content that lacks artistic or narrative purpose.
Submissions that dehumanise or target individuals or communities based on race, gender, sexuality, religion, nationality, or ability will not be considered.
Content Notes
If your piece contains potentially triggering material (e.g., self-harm, sexual violence, abuse), we encourage including a content note at the beginning of your submission. This isn't mandatory, but it helps us handle the work with care.
Content That Cannot Be Published
Because of our narrative-shifting mandate, we cannot publish work that reinforces harmful stereotypes about Ghana or Africa, centres narratives of poverty, disease, corruption, or despair without nuance, or portrays the continent solely through a deficit lens.
However, narrative-shifting does not mean avoiding criticism. We welcome bold, honest examinations of social, cultural, and political issues — including those that expose human rights violations, hold leaders accountable, and question systems or practices that harm people.
Such work must be rigorous, evidence-based, and deeply authentic, rooted in a vision for progress, justice, and dignity.
What We Do Not Accept
- Previously published work
- Including blogs, self-published platforms, or any publication that retains public access
- Work generated primarily or entirely by AI tools
- Submissions that promote hate, misinformation, or discriminatory ideologies
- Multiple submissions across genres
Anti-AI Policy
We do not accept works that are entirely or partially generated with AI or that use AI processes, including, but not limited to, rewrites, character descriptions, outlines, dialogue, plot elements, and more.
- Any submission that violates this policy will be automatically rejected.
- If a work has already been published, it will be removed.
- Writers who breach these guidelines will also be blacklisted from future submissions.
- And you will bring shame to yourself and writers who came before you, who, through cosmic handover of this baton, have trusted you to carry forward this sacred undertaking. Writing is a serious creative endeavour with interconnected processes and journeys, each relying on the other to produce a very satisfying result. And well, sitting on your bum to actually write is part of this process. It is not easy, but it is part of the process and the reward. With all due respect, don’t become a writer if you can’t commit to that.
Accessibility & Support
We want this to be accessible to all. If you encounter any technical or access barriers when submitting, please do not hesitate to reach out on IG or email. We're happy to assist or offer alternative submission methods where necessary.