SA Nominees Submitted for PEN International New Voices Award

PEN centres around the world have been invited by PEN International to select and submit works by budding, unpublished authors, aged 18 to 30, for entry into their New Voices Award. The award aims to encourage new writing in the countries in which PEN International operates and to provide a much needed space for young and unpublished writers to submit their work. The award actively encourages entries from diverse linguistic regions and communities and there is prize money of $1,000 USD on offer. PEN International will also publish the winning entry. Entries may only be submitted by PEN centres.

PEN SA recently completed the process of calling for and anonymously judging entries by nominated young authors. As PEN International will also be judging the entries anonymously we have to keep mum for the moment as to who our selected authors are. However, Karina Szczurek, our head PEN SA New Voices Award 2015 selector had this to say of the entries received:

It has been a real privilege and pleasure to determine the PEN South Africa New Voices Award nominees. The overwhelming response from the judging panel was surprise at the high quality of all the entries. It is heartening to know that young local talent is blossoming. All fourteen entries were fascinating for different reasons: inventiveness, style, literariness, form or theme. Congratulations to all! Please continue writing – you are on the right path. Our shortlist was very strong. We believe our two final nominees have every chance of winning at international level. Judges used words like ‘flawless’, ‘perfect’, and ‘astounding’ to describe their choices. We are keeping our fingers crossed for you.

The winner of the award will be announced at PEN International’s annual congress to be held in Quebec, Canada, in October 2015.

For more information about the award see New Voices Award Pen International. The winner of the 2013, and inaugural New Voices Award, was South African Masande Ntshanga.