W.A. Hofmeyr Prize

Annual South African prize for Afrikaans literature (drama, poetry, prose) presented by Media24; established in 1954.

Afrikaans literatureFictionPoetryDramaSouth African literary awards

Established: 1954
Organizer: Media24 (presented by Media24, part of Naspers)
Category: Poetry and Contemporary Poetry
Selection Method: Open call
Target: Open
Frequency: 1 per year
Announcement Period: around June
Status: Active

Description

The W.A. Hofmeyr Prize, instituted in 1954 by Nasionale Pers (now part of Naspers), is awarded annually by Media24 for literary excellence in Afrikaans drama, poetry and prose — works that could "shift the boundaries" of Afrikaans literature. Eligible books are those published within the Media24 Books stable (including NB Publishers, Jonathan Ball, LuxVerbi-BM, NVA and Van Schaik). As of 2020 the award carried a cash prize of R35,000.

Prize

Main Prize: Monetary prize (as of 2020: R35,000)
Cash Prize: 35,000 ZAR

Selection

Selection Process

Stage	Judges	Pass Rate	Announcement
Eligibility / Submission	Eligible books are those published within the Media24 Books stable; eligibility is determined/managed by the organizer and publisher(s).	—	Eligibility/entry period handled by Media24; specific deadlines not publicly detailed in source.
Shortlist selection	Panel of judges appointed annually (number varies by year; note: overall Media24 awards had 18 judges in 2020 across categories).	—	Shortlists typically announced in late May / early June.
Final selection and winner announcement	Same appointed judging panel makes final decision.	—	Winner announced at the Media24 awards ceremony (typically in June) and via press releases.

Eligibility / Submission

Judges Eligible books are those published within the Media24 Books stable; eligibility is determined/managed by the organizer and publisher(s).

Announcement Eligibility/entry period handled by Media24; specific deadlines not publicly detailed in source.

Shortlist selection

Judges Panel of judges appointed annually (number varies by year; note: overall Media24 awards had 18 judges in 2020 across categories).

Announcement Shortlists typically announced in late May / early June.

Final selection and winner announcement

Judges Same appointed judging panel makes final decision.

Announcement Winner announced at the Media24 awards ceremony (typically in June) and via press releases.

Criteria

Literary excellence (quality of writing)
Originality and innovation
Contribution to Afrikaans literature (works that may 'shift the boundaries')
Overall artistic merit (for drama, poetry, or prose)

Application Tips

Dos

Before applying, confirm that your book has been published by one of Media24 Books' publishers (NB Publishers, Jonathan Ball Publishers, LuxVerbi-BM, NVA, Van Schaik, etc.).
Enhance the literary quality and originality of your work (the W.A. Hofmeyr Prize evaluates works that have the potential to "shift the boundaries").
Collaborate with the publisher to confirm and prepare the submission methods and deadlines required by the organizers.

Don''ts

Do not submit works published by publishers outside the Media24 Books group (they will be ineligible).
Do not submit without following the application requirements, such as incomplete format or missing documents.

From Judges

Literary quality (style, expression, structure) and innovation are emphasized.
When applying, be mindful of the expressiveness specific to each genre (poetry, drama, prose).
Note that judging committee perspectives and trends may vary by year, as there have been criticisms regarding diversity in some years.