Translation Prizes 2020 open in Italian, Spanish, German and French

1 October 2019

The 2020 Translation Prizes – awarded for translations into English from the Italian, Spanish, German and French – are now open for entries until Friday 28 February 2020.

The prizes will be presented at our annual Translation Prizes evening in 2021 with more than £10,000 awarded to recognise outstanding literary translations. This year’s ceremony at the British Library saw £15,000 presented to winners and commended translators, including Sophie Yanow’s translation of Pretending is Lying – the first for a graphic novel.

The Saif Ghobash Banipal Prize, for translation from the Arabic, and the TA First Translation Prize, for debut translations from any language, will open later this year. 

The following Translation Prizes are now open for entries:

 

The John Florio Prize – for translation from the Italian

The John Florio Prize is a biennial award of £2,000 for translations into English of full-length Italian works of literary merit and general interest.

Established in 1963 and named for the writer-translator John Florio, who lived in London 1555-1625, the prize is generously sponsored by the Italian Cultural Institute and the Society of Authors.

Closing date: Friday 28 February 2020

  • Entries must be translations from Italian into English.
  • The original must have been first published in the last 150 years.
  • The translation must have been first published in the UK in 2018 and 2019.
  • Full Terms and Conditions are listed at the start of the entry form.
  • Presented at a ceremony in 2021.

ENTER HERE

 

The Premio Valle Inclán – for translation from the Spanish

The Premio Valle Inclán is an annual prize of £2,000 for translations into English of full-length Spanish language works of literary merit and general interest.

The prize was established in 1997. 

Closing date: Friday 28 February 2020

  • Entries must be translations from Spanish into English but may be from any period and from anywhere in the world.
  • Entries must have been published in 2019.
  • Full Terms and Conditions are listed at the start of the entry form.
  • Presented at a ceremony in 2021.

ENTER HERE

 

The Schlegel-Tieck Prize – for translation from the German

The Schlegel-Tieck Prize is an annual award of £3,000 for translations into English of full-length German works of literary merit and general interest.

First awarded in 1965 and named for two poets of the Romantic period, August Wilhelm Schlegel (1767-1845) and Ludwig Tieck (1773-1853), the prize is generously sponsored by the Goethe-Institut.

Closing date: Friday 28 February 2020

  • Entries must be translations from German into English.
  • The original must have been first published in the last 100 years. 
  • Entries must have been published in 2019.
  • Full Terms and Conditions are listed at the start of the entry form.
  • Presented at a ceremony in 2021.

ENTER HERE

 

The Scott Moncrieff Prize – for translation from the French

The Scott Moncrieff Prize is an annual award of £1,000 for translations into English of full-length French works of literary merit and general interest.

Established in 1965, and named after the celebrated translator of Proust’s Á la Recherche du Temps Perdu, the prize is generously sponsored by the Institut français du Royaume-Uni.

Closing date: Friday 28 February 2020

  • Entries must be translations from French into English.
  • The original must have been published within the last 150 years.
  • Entries must have been published in 2019.
  • Full Terms and Conditions are listed at the start of the entry form.
  • Presented at a ceremony in 2021.

ENTER HERE

 

In addition...

We are still accepting entries to The Goethe-Institut Prize 2020 for a translation of a single extract from German to English. The 2020 winner is awarded €1,000 and will be invited to attend the 2020 Leipzing Book Fair (12-15 March 2020), which will include a place at the International Translators' meeting organised by the Literary Colloquium Berlin.

The deadline for entries is Monday 11 November. Find out more and enter here

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