Armory Square Prize for South Asian Literature in Translation

Launched in July 2022, the Armory Square Prize for South Asian Literature in Translation is an annual effort to remedy the stark disparities in literary translation worldwide and support compelling storytellers from the Indian Subcontinent.

All shortlisted translators will have an excerpt from their work published at Words Without Borders, the premier online magazine for literature in translation. The winning work will be published by Open Letter Books.

The prize jury will first and foremost consider the quality of the translation, paying particular attention to the creative and artful solutions that the translator has used to address the translation challenges posed by the work. The jury will also consider the significance of the original work and its author, and the extent to which the language and author are underrepresented in English.

The prize is open to translators of literature written by a South Asian author in a language other than English. Any book-length work of narrative prose, fiction, or nonfiction, by a South Asian author (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Maldives or the diaspora) will be eligible.

The deadline for applications is February 16, 2025. The shortlist and winner will be announced in Spring 2025.

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Enquiries about submissions should be directed to Armory Square Ventures. Please always refer to their website for complete details and information. 

Please note, this call is run by Armory Square Ventures, not the Commonwealth Foundation.