Sunday Times CNA Literary Awards

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South Africa's annual literary award. There are fiction and non-fiction categories, with prize money awarded to winners in each category.

FictionNonfictionLiterary awardSouth Africa

Established: 1989
Organizer: The Sunday Times (South Africa)
Category: Nonfiction and Documentary Literature
Selection Method: Open call
Target: Open
Frequency: 1 per year
Announcement Period: around June
Status: Active

Description

The Sunday Times CNA Literary Awards is an annual literary award hosted by South Africa's newspaper The Sunday Times. It consists of two categories: full-length non-fiction works (formerly the Alan Paton Award) and novels. Prize money (currently R100,000) is awarded to winners in each category. The non-fiction category began in 1989 as the Alan Paton Award, and the fiction category was established in 2001. In 2015, the two categories were merged with an increased prize amount, and from 2021, with CNA as sponsor, it has been operated as the Sunday Times CNA Literary Awards. In 2020, it was suspended for one year due to the impact of COVID-19.

Prize

Main Prize: R100,000 prize money to the winner in each category
Cash Prize: 100,000 ZAR

Selection

Selection Process

Stage	Judges	Pass Rate	Announcement
Longlist	Selection committee appointed each year (writers, editors, etc.)	—	Announced on the official website and in The Sunday Times newspaper
Shortlist	Selection committee narrows down the nominated works	—	Published on the official website and in various media reports
Winner selection and announcement	Final deliberation by the selection committee (voting and discussion)	—	Winners announced once a year on the official website and Sunday Times newspaper

Longlist

Judges Selection committee appointed each year (writers, editors, etc.)

Announcement Announced on the official website and in The Sunday Times newspaper

Shortlist

Judges Selection committee narrows down the nominated works

Announcement Published on the official website and in various media reports

Winner selection and announcement

Judges Final deliberation by the selection committee (voting and discussion)

Announcement Winners announced once a year on the official website and Sunday Times newspaper

Criteria

Non-fiction (Alan Paton Award criteria): Illuminating the truth (including new and subtle forms that may be unpopular), compassion, elegance of prose, and demonstrating intellectual and moral integrity
Fiction (Fiction Prize criteria): Possessing rare imagination and style, and being a compelling story that serves as a lasting landmark in contemporary fiction
Publishers and authors must meet the entry guidelines, publication period (eligible publication dates), and other requirements

Application Tips

Dos

Check the official website and entry requirements (application period, eligible publication dates, submission format) in advance
Submit accurately through the publisher or author as per regulations (utilize publisher support if available)
Thoroughly proofread the manuscript or final version and attach necessary supplements such as translation or binding information
Confirm that it meets the eligible publication period (requirements differ by year)

Don''ts

Do not submit incomplete materials ignoring the entry regulations
Do not submit after the deadline or in non-specified formats
Do not submit with improper handling of copyrights or quotes (plagiarism strictly prohibited)

From Judges

Non-fiction emphasizes 'illuminating the truth', with works showing compassion, elegance of writing, and intellectual and moral integrity being highly evaluated.
Fiction seeks 'rare imagination and style' and is expected to be compelling enough to become an important landmark in contemporary literature.