Media24 Books Literary Awards
メディア24 ブックス文学賞
Annual South African literary awards hosted by Media24, comprising multiple categories. Targets books published by Media24 affiliate publishers, with prize money awarded to winners in each category.
- Established
- 0
- Organizer
- Media24
- Category
- Children's Literature, Fairy Tales, and Picture Books
- Selection Method
- Open call
- Target
- Open
- Frequency
- 1 per year
- Announcement Period
- around June
- Status
- Active
Description
Media24 Books Literary Awards (formerly Via Afrika Awards, previously Nasboek Literary Awards) is a suite of literary awards annually hosted by South African publisher Media24 (Naspers group). Eligible submissions are books published by Media24 Books affiliates (NB Publishers, Jonathan Ball Publishers, LuxVerbi-BM, NVA, Van Schaik Publishers, etc.). The awards consist of five main categories: W.A. Hofmeyr Prize (Afrikaans literature), Herman Charles Bosman Prize (English literature), Recht Malan Prize (nonfiction), MER Prizes (children's and young adult categories each), Elisabeth Eybers Prize (poetry), with each prize worth R35,000 (South African Rand). From 2004–2014, the Jan Rabie Rapport Prize was announced at the same event, and until 2010, the M-Net Literary Awards were also presented simultaneously. In 2020, criticism arose regarding the lack of diversity among judges and winners.
Prize
- Main Prize
- Prize money awarded to the winner in each category (R35,000 per category)
- Cash Prize
- 35,000 ZAR
- Publicity from shortlist inclusion
- Recognition at the awards ceremony
Selection
Selection Process
| Stage | Judges | Pass Rate | Announcement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eligibility verification | Verification of submission requirements (publication date, publisher, etc.) by publisher representatives and organizers | — | Eligible works advance to judging (typically no public announcement) |
| Shortlist selection | Category-specific judges (writers, academics, editors, etc.) | — | Shortlist published via Media24 and media outlets (e.g., around May) |
| Final judging and winner selection | Category judges or joint panel (e.g., 18 judges in total in 2020) | — | Winners announced at the ceremony and via Media24's official channels (e.g., around June) |
Criteria
- Literary excellence and quality of expression
- Innovation and boundary-pushing qualities (especially W.A. Hofmeyr Prize)
- Depth of research and originality (nonfiction categories like Recht Malan Prize)
- Quality of visual expression and harmony with text in children's and illustrated books (MER Prizes)
- Overall quality as a published work (editing, proofreading, design)
- Eligibility: Must be published by a Media24 affiliate publisher
Application Tips
Dos
- Confirm in advance that the submitted work was published by a Media24 affiliate publisher
- Thoroughly proofread and edit the book, and prepare submission materials properly
- Submit in a format suitable for the relevant category (English/Afrikaans/children's books, etc.)
- Clearly convey the work's uniqueness and contributions in the summary or recommendation letter
Don''ts
- Do not submit incomplete or insufficiently proofread manuscripts
- Do not submit works from publishers or editions that do not meet eligibility requirements
- Do not infringe copyrights, such as by imitating others' works
From Judges
- Emphasis on literary polish and clarity of expression
- In nonfiction categories, depth of research and source reliability are crucial
- Children's books are evaluated on harmony between text and illustrations, and suitability for the target age group
Related Awards
- W.A. Hofmeyr Prize
- Herman Charles Bosman Prize
- Recht Malan Prize
- MER Prizes (Children's & Youth)
- Elisabeth Eybers Prize
- Jan Rabie Rapport Prize
- M-Net Literary Awards
- kykNET-Rapport Book Prizes
- African Book Awards Database