University of Johannesburg Prize

よはねすぶるぐだいがくしょう

Annual University of Johannesburg Prize (UJ Prize) for South African writing across multiple language categories including English, Afrikaans, isiZulu, Northern Sotho and Literary Translation.

EnglishAfrikaansZulu (isiZulu)Northern Sotho (Sesotho sa Leboa)Literary Translation

Established: 2006
Organizer: University of Johannesburg
Category: Research, Translation, and Scholarship
Selection Method: Open call
Target: Open
Frequency: 1 per year
Announcement Period: around September–October
Status: Active

Description

The University of Johannesburg Prize (UJ Prize) is an annual set of literary awards presented by the University of Johannesburg for the best creative works in multiple South African language categories. There are usually two prizes in each language category — a main prize and a debut prize — while the Literary Translation category has a main translation prize and a youth translation prize. The main prize is R70,000, the debut prize is R35,000, and the literary translation main prize is R50,000. The Afrikaans prize originated earlier (as the RAU Prize for Creative Writing) and was incorporated into the UJ prize structure after 2005; English was introduced in 2005; isiZulu, Northern Sotho and the Literary Translation prizes were first awarded in 2021 (with eligibility covering works published between 2018–2020 for that inaugural round). Winners are announced via UJ press releases and news outlets.

Prize

Main Prize: Main prize: R70 000 to the main winner in each language category. Debut prize: R35 000 for a debut work. Literary Translation main prize: R50 000. A youth translation prize is also awarded.
Cash Prize: 70,000 ZAR

Debut prize: 35000
Literary Translation prize: 50000
Youth translation prize (amount not specified in source)

Selection

Selection Process

Stage	Judges	Pass Rate	Announcement
Submission / Eligibility check	Submissions/entries checked by University of Johannesburg staff; works must meet eligibility (published in the relevant period) and fit a language/category	—	Eligibility results/internal shortlist processes not always public; eligible entries progress to shortlist consideration
Shortlist	A panel of judges appointed by the University of Johannesburg (usually a separate panel per category)	—	Shortlists are typically announced publicly via UJ channels and literary media
Final selection / Winners	Judges convene to select main and debut winners (and translation winners); decisions announced by UJ	—	Winners announced via UJ press release and reported in news outlets

Submission / Eligibility check

Judges Submissions/entries checked by University of Johannesburg staff; works must meet eligibility (published in the relevant period) and fit a language/category

Announcement Eligibility results/internal shortlist processes not always public; eligible entries progress to shortlist consideration

Shortlist

Judges A panel of judges appointed by the University of Johannesburg (usually a separate panel per category)

Announcement Shortlists are typically announced publicly via UJ channels and literary media

Final selection / Winners

Judges Judges convene to select main and debut winners (and translation winners); decisions announced by UJ

Announcement Winners announced via UJ press release and reported in news outlets

Criteria

Literary quality and craft
Originality and creativity
Contribution to South African literature and to the category language
Eligibility (publication within the stated eligibility period)
For translation: accuracy, fidelity and literary merit of the translation

Application Tips

Dos

Confirm that entries are published works, and typically works published in the relevant year are eligible (the inaugural 2021 round included some works published between 2018–2020)
Submit in a language appropriate to the category (English / Afrikaans / isiZulu / Northern Sotho / Literary Translation)
For translation award submissions, clearly indicate the source language, target language, original author, and translator information
Clearly include publication details (publisher name, publication year)

Don''ts

Do not submit unpublished manuscripts (in principle, published works are eligible)
Do not submit works outside the eligibility period
Do not mistakenly think there is a debut prize for the translation award (there is no debut prize for translation, but there is a youth translation prize)