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Prize and publisher AI declaration checklistbefore you submit a story or manuscript
TimeBinder adds a layer of protection against AI and human fraud and disputes. Review the current rules, any declaration you must make, and the dated drafts you can still show, before you submit to a prize, a journal or a publisher.
Nothing you tick is sent anywhere. This page cannot decide authorship, and it cannot decide a detector result.
Check the records you can still show
Tick what is true of the file you will submit, the drafts you already hold, and the current rules that apply. You get a shareable result and clear next steps. Nothing you tick is sent to TimeBinder.
Your choices stay on this page. Nothing you tick is sent anywhere or tied to your name.
Tick everything that is true before you submit a story or manuscript to a prize, journal or publisher
This looks at the current rules, any declaration you must make, and the dated drafts you can still show. It cannot decide authorship, and it cannot decide a detector result.
What to do now
What should I keep before I submit a story or manuscript? The short answer
Read the current prize, journal or publisher rules, including any AI-use or disclosure rule. Keep a dated copy of the exact file you submit, of the drafts that led to it, and of any declaration you make.
This checklist is not a finding of authorship, and it cannot decide a detector result. A TimeBind of a draft or submitted file you already hold can show that exact file existed no later than a recorded time and still matches. It does not show who wrote the work.
Why this came up in mid-November 2026
On 11 November 2026, noon, London, the Caine Prize for African Writing published a Board statement confirming the 2026 winner after a suggestion of AI use. The Board concluded its internal review of "The Blue Fighter" by Simbarashe Steyn Kundizeza and confirmed that the award stands. The official statement says the review opened on 11 October 2026 after an article in The Atlantic, found no evidence that the story was produced using generative AI, and that "AI detection tools alone are not a reliable basis for determining authorship." The Board considers the matter closed. This page does not re-open that review, and it does not make a finding about the author.
The same statement says that for 2027, when submissions open on 23 November, the Prize is introducing an AI declaration for all stories submitted by publishers, an AI declaration for all shortlisted writers, guidance for judges, a published process for reviewing future concerns, and an AI Use Policy. Those are the Prize's own next steps. Other prizes, journals and publishers have their own rules, and those rules change.
BBC News reported the confirmation on 11 November 2026 at 20:00:54 UTC (12 November, 6:00 AM Australia/Brisbane). An earlier BBC report, on 13 October 2026 at 23:31:10 UTC, covered the author's denial at the start of the same news window.
Measured demand is both search and traffic. Autocomplete checked on 12 November 2026, about 7:42 PM Australia/Brisbane, returned suggestions for "caine prize ai", "caine prize ai controversy" and "short story prize ai". On X, a 14 October post by @BBCAfrica had 58,025 impressions, 89 likes and 16 reposts when searched on 12 November; a 11 November post quoting the Board confirmation, by @ArtherChatora, had 2,846 impressions, 108 likes and 40 reposts. An Arise News review uploaded on 15 October had 2,763 views and 24 likes when checked the same evening with yt-dlp. Counts will keep moving.
The checks are written for the next submission to a prize, a journal or a publisher, not only this Prize, and they can also help a student who is submitting work under similar disclosure rules. For a university assessment brief, see also the assignment AI-use checklist.
Sources: the Caine Prize statement of 11 November 2026, BBC News on the confirmation, and BBC News on the earlier denial.
What this checklist does and does not do
The honest job of this page is to slow down a submission until the rules, the declaration and the drafts are in hand, not to judge a writer or a detector for you. See also the glossary entries for existed no later than and fingerprint.
| Part | What it does | What it does not do |
|---|---|---|
| Current prize, journal or publisher rules | Gives you a reason to pause until you have read the AI-use or disclosure rule that applies to this submission. | Interpret a rule for you, or show that a submission complies. |
| The declaration and the submitted file | Reminds you to keep a dated copy of the exact wording you declare, and of the exact file you submit, separate from later edits. | Show that the declaration is complete or true. |
| Earlier drafts | Reminds you to keep dated copies of the drafts that led to the submitted file, from before the submission date. | Show who wrote the work, or decide a detector result. |
| A TimeBind of a file you already hold | Records that an exact file existed no later than a recorded time and still matches, using a SHA-256 fingerprint made in your browser. The file stays on your device. | Show authorship, or decide a detector result. |
If a submission is one you may need to stand behind later
Before you submit:
- Read the current rules, and keep a dated copy of any declaration you will make and of the exact file you will submit.
- Keep dated copies of the drafts that led to that file, from before the submission date.
- Make a TimeBind of each exact file or archive you already hold. The fingerprint is made in your browser and the file stays on your device. You can later download a Proof of Time Certificate.
A TimeBind shows the exact file existed no later than the recorded time and still matches. It is not a finding of authorship, and it cannot decide a detector result.
First Pooled TimeBind free, no card, then from US$5. An ASAP TimeBind is US$15.
What a TimeBind shows, and what it does not. It shows that an exact file existed no later than a recorded time and that a copy shown later still matches its fingerprint. It does not show who made the file, who owns it, that its contents are true, or whether AI was used to make or edit it. This is general information, not legal advice.
Prize and publisher AI declaration checklist: FAQ
Can this tool show that I wrote a story, or decide a detector result?
No. It cannot decide authorship, and it cannot decide a detector result. It only helps you review the current rules, any declaration you must make, and the dated drafts you still hold.
What should I keep before I submit?
A dated copy of the exact file you will submit, dated copies of the drafts that led to it from before the submission date, and a dated copy of any declaration or disclosure the current rules require. A TimeBind of an exact file you already hold can show that file existed no later than a recorded time and still matches.
What if a prize or a publisher later asks how the work was made?
Keep the current rules you read, the exact wording you declared, and the drafts from before the submission date, separate from later rewrites. A later rewrite is not the same file. None of that, on its own, decides authorship.
Are detector scores a finding of authorship?
No. The Caine Prize's 11 November 2026 statement said AI detection tools alone are not a reliable basis for determining authorship. That is the Prize's wording about its own review, not a general test result, and it is not a finding about any other writer or tool.
Is anything I tick sent to TimeBinder?
No. The checklist runs in your browser. Your ticks stay on the page.
Is this legal advice?
No. If you need advice about a specific submission, contract or allegation, speak to a lawyer. This page cannot replace that answer.
Related guides and tools
- Manuscript timestampingThe TimeBinder hub for dated records of drafts
- When a prize winner discloses AI useWhat writers should keep when disclosure rules apply
- Prove a manuscript existed before an AI accusationDated drafts if a later question appears
- Prove a manuscript existed before submittingWhat to keep before a file goes out
- Assignment AI-use checklistA checklist for a university assessment brief
- Commonwealth Short Story Prize 2026A different prize, and a different review
- GlossaryPlain definitions of fingerprint, SHA-256 and existed no later than
- All free toolsPrivate, in-browser tools
Date the file you will submit
Add a layer of protection against AI and human fraud and disputes: a dated, checkable record of the exact submission, kept beside the drafts, the rules and any declaration you may later need to show.
- Open the app and sign in with email or Google.
- Add your files. They stay on your computer.
- Seal them and download your Proof of Time certificates.
First Pooled TimeBind free, no card, then from US$5. See pricing.