My Mind Words Paper + writing contests

Deadline: 29 June 2012

The wRite associates, in partnership with the national Department of Arts and Culture, invite South African writers to submit their work for the South African Literary Awards.

The main aim of the South African Literary Awards is to pay tribute to South African writers who have distinguished themselves as groundbreaking producers and creators of literature, while it celebrates literary excellence in the depiction and sharing of South Africa’s histories, value systems and philosophies and art as inscribed and preserved in all the languages of South Africa, particularly the Official Languages. The awards aim to become the most prestigious and respected literary accolades in South African literature.

Selections are made from published authors whose primary input is in imaginative writing - fiction as well as creative non-fiction. The work must demonstrate good linguistic presentation, the nation’s identity, the societal values, universal truths, and cultural aesthetics, contribution to social cohesion and nation building and transcendence of time.

GENERAL RULES

• The work must be original
• The submissions must follow the criteria
• The awards are not open to the stakeholders’ staff and their immediate families and judges of the awards
• The judges’ decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
• Only South African official languages are considered
• Nominations must be accompanied by an endorsement of the author and/or publisher
• Ten copies of the book/publication must be submitted
• All the submitted copies, whether successful or not, will not be returned to the submitting party

1. Nadine Gordimer Short Story Award (for writing in African languages in the RSA)

• Only short stories are considered
• No age restriction
• Only works published in 2010 – 2011 will be accepted

• The award is open to novels and novellas only
• Only works published in 2010 – 2011 will be accepted
• No age restriction

• The author will be judged on his/her overall literary achievement
• The profile of the author and any supporting material must be submitted
• No age restrictions

• The author must be 60-years old or above
• The author will be judged on her/his outstanding work regardless of quantity and year of publication
• The profile of the author and any supporting material must be submitted

• The journalist must have made significant contribution to the promotion and development of literature through writing about and analysing South African literature
• The award includes print and electronic media
• No age restriction

• Only the literary works translated by a South African on South African works of art will be considered
• All the literary genres are welcome.
• Both the original and translated copy must be submitted
• Only works published in 2010 – 2011 will be accepted
• No age restriction

• Only anthologies published by one author will be considered
• Only works published in 2010 – 2011 will be accepted
• No age restriction

• The award is open to all genres
• The work can be fiction or non-fiction
• The author must have not been published before in any genre
• Only works published in 2010 – 2011 will be accepted
• No age restriction

• The award is open to creative non-fiction works, i.e. biographies/autobiographies, letters, speeches and memoirs
• Only anthology published by one author will be accepted
• Only works published in 2010 – 2011 will be accepted
• No age restriction

CONTACT INFORMATION:

For inquiries: call 011-791 3585 OR 011-791 4102 or e-mail info@sala.org.za

For submissions: info@sala.org.za

Website: http://sala.org.za