Sanlam and Tafelberg have announced the names of the finalists in this year’s Sanlam Prize for Youth Literature. There are five finalists in both the English and Afrikaans categories and six manuscripts in the running for the African languages awards. The panel of judges commented on the high standard of the finalists in the English category especially.
Up for grabs is a gold prize of R12 000 and silver prize (R6 000) in each category. The winners are to be announced in Cape Town on 17 March 2010. The theme this year was humour and promises to deliver enjoyable reads once the prize-winning books become available in all bookshops from October 2010. Previous winners include Gillian D’achada for Sharky’s Son, John Coetzee for Dance of the Freaky Green Gold and Fanie Viljoen for his Onderwêreld.
English category finalists are:
Alex Smith, from Cape Town
Lauri Kubuitsile, from Botswana
Adeline Radloff, from Cape Town
Jayne Bauling, from White River
Maya Fowler, from Cape Town
Die finaliste in die kategorie vir Afrikaans is:
Louise Prinsloo, van Pretoria
François Bloemhof, van Durbanville
Derick van der Walt, van Pretoria
Henning Janse van Vuuren, van Nelspruit
Erna Müller, van Windhoek
African languages contenders are:
Kabelo Duncan Kgatea (Sotho category: Setswana)
Mathete Molope Piet (Sotho category: Sepedi)
Motimele Mabonchi Goodwill (Sotho category: Sepedi)
Tsireledzo Mushoma (Tshivenda category)
Dumisani Sibiya (Nguni category: isiZulu)
Sipho R Kekezwa (Nguni category: isiXhosa)
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December 9th, 2009 @17:00 #
*whoops, dances on spot* Well done all! So pleased. Wish you could all win first prize. Tsireledzo Mushoma http://tsireledzomushoma.book.co.za/ is also on the SA Blogroll of honour!
December 10th, 2009 @08:51 #
Happiness, oh happiness!
Good luck everyone. Nice to see Lauri Kubuitsile's name up there too.
December 10th, 2009 @09:38 #
Congratulations, young shortlistees.
December 10th, 2009 @10:21 #
Congrats to Alex, Lauri, Tsireledzo and the others on the short lists.
December 11th, 2009 @08:43 #
Congratulations to all who are short-listed. As Modjaji Books I specially want to say Yay for Lauri, who has a collection of short stories coming out with Modjaji next year, and who compiled the Bed stories and has one in it too. As does Jayne Bauling.
I was very interested to see your name there, Alex, branching out into a new genre and Maya. Well done to all of you. I look forward to reading all the books.
December 11th, 2009 @11:53 #
well done all you shortlistees!!! what a festive opening for the season!
March 7th, 2010 @10:49 #
Say, Maya, and Tsireledzo are you going to be at the do at the Grand West on the 17th? Recently I learned to play poker - I fancy I was a fearsome and wily gangster cardsharp in a previous life - so I'm going along on the 17th and plan to fit in a bit of good gamble too. If either of you are up for champagne and blackjack, say 'aye'.
March 7th, 2010 @12:31 #
Alex, I've just finished reading your Venus and the Cat short story in African Writing. I loved it! It resonated strongly for me as I'd recently been browsing a certain SA egg-donor (egg-broker?) website, only to be rendered acutely uncomfortable by the precise breeziness of tone that unsettles your character. Strange synchronicity.
March 7th, 2010 @18:07 #
That sounds SO intriguing. Must read this story!
March 9th, 2010 @16:21 #
Fiona, unsettled is exactly how I felt after browsing the egg shop site ...it is a shop, even with the euphemism (is that the word? perhaps not) of donor... thanks it's nice to know you liked the story, it's something I started a while ago and then wasn't sure if I liked the story, but Chuma at African Writing was very encouraging... In the end, I'm still not sure the story works as a story (it's not a proper short story is it really?), but the concept interests me, mostly the economics of eggs cheaper here because of the exchange rate and egg tourists ... anyhow,I am very glad to know that it has been read!