Alan Paton Award (Sunday Times CNA Literary Awards — Non-fiction)
あらん・ぺいとんしょう
Major South African non-fiction literary award established in 1989. Organized by The Sunday Times, with R100,000 awarded to the winner.
NonfictionLiterary awardSouth Africa
- Established
- 1989
- Organizer
- The Sunday Times (organizer), CNA (sponsor since 2021)
- Category
- Nonfiction and Documentary Literature
- Selection Method
- Open call
- Target
- Open
- Frequency
- 1 per year
- Announcement Period
- around October–November
- Status
- Active
Description
The Alan Paton Award, established in 1989, is a South African non-fiction prize aimed at recognizing works that illuminate truthfulness ("illumination of truthfulness"), demonstrate compassion, elegance of writing, and intellectual and moral integrity. A fiction category was introduced in 2001 (later also called the Barry Ronge Fiction Prize), and in 2015, both fiction and non-fiction categories were restructured as the Sunday Times Literary Awards, with the prize amount increased from R75,000 to R100,000. It was temporarily suspended in 2020 due to COVID-19 and resumed in 2021 with CNA as sponsor.
Prize
- Main Prize
- R100,000 (South African Rand) awarded to the non-fiction category winner
- Cash Prize
- 100,000 ZAR
- Accompanying recognition and publicity exposure (announcement in The Sunday Times etc.)
- Recognition and promotional effects as an award-winning achievement
Selection
Selection Process
| Stage | Judges | Pass Rate | Announcement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Longlist | Selection committee (announced annually by The Sunday Times etc.) | — | Longlist announced on official site and in The Sunday Times newspaper |
| Shortlist | Selection committee (as above) | — | Shortlist announced in The Sunday Times, TimesLIVE, etc. |
| Final selection and winner determination | Final judging panel (announced each year) | — | Winners announced in The Sunday Times and related media |
Longlist
Judges
Selection committee (announced annually by The Sunday Times etc.)
Announcement
Longlist announced on official site and in The Sunday Times newspaper
Shortlist
Judges
Selection committee (as above)
Announcement
Shortlist announced in The Sunday Times, TimesLIVE, etc.
Final selection and winner determination
Judges
Final judging panel (announced each year)
Announcement
Winners announced in The Sunday Times and related media
Criteria
- "the illumination of truthfulness, especially those forms of it that are new, delicate, unfashionable and fly in the face of power," and demonstrating "compassion, elegance of writing, and intellectual and moral integrity." Evaluates works that illuminate truth (including new, delicate, unpopular truths), showing compassion, elegance of writing, and intellectual and moral integrity.
- "rare imagination and style... a tale so compelling as to become an enduring landmark of contemporary fiction." For fiction category, emphasizes rare imagination and style, and compelling storytelling that becomes an enduring landmark of contemporary fiction.
Application Tips
Dos
- フルレングスのノンフィクション作品であることを確認する（出版社経由の応募が必要な場合が多い）
- 厳密な調査と事実確認を行い、倫理的に正しい引用・出典を明示する
- 文章の明快さ・優雅さ（elegance of writing）を重視する
- 募集要項・対象出版期間（例：ある年は指定期間内の刊行物）を必ず確認する
- 過去の受賞作を読み、評価される傾向（真実の照明、知的誠実さ）を参考にする
Don''ts
- 未出版の原稿を応募しない（賞は出版作品が対象）
- 事実の誇張や出典を示さないまま主張を行わない
- 応募要項やフォーマットを無視して不備のある応募を行わない
- 倫理的に問題のある資料の使用や許可のない引用を行わない
From Judges
- 作品は「真実を照らし出す（illumination of truthfulness）」力を持つことが評価される
- 思いやり（compassion）や文章の優雅さ、知的・道徳的誠実さが審査で重視される
- フィクション部門では稀有な想像力と文体が重要視される（審査基準に関する示唆）
Related Awards
- Barry Ronge Fiction Prize (Sunday Times fiction category)
- Sunday Times CNA Literary Awards (overall)
- Other South African literary awards (e.g., Sunday Times Fiction Prize etc.)
- CNA-related publishing and award programs
Official Resources
https://www.sundaytimes.timeslive.co.za/books/Past Winners
No winner
Greg Marinovich
Winner
Jacob Dlamini
Winner
Max du Preez
Winner
Redi Tlhabi
Winner
Hugh Lewin
Winner
Ronnie Kasrils
Winner
Albie Sachs
Winner
Peter Harris
Winner
Mark Gevisser
Winner
Edwin Cameron
Winner
Adam Levin
Winner
Jonny Steinberg
Winner
Jonny Steinberg
Winner
Jonathan Kaplan
Winner
Antjie Krog
Winner
Stephen Clingman
Winner