Fairway National Literary Awards 2016 clocks up record number of entries

The Fairway National Literary Awards 2016 is well under way, showing a tremendous start for the second consecutive year. The annual awards, which recognise exceptional creative writing in the Sinhala, Tamil and English languages in Sri Lanka, have already received a substantial number of entries this year, especially in the Sinhala category, where the number of entries has doubled compared to last year. This suggests that the habit of reading and the creative impulse to write is stronger than ever among the Sri Lankan public. 

Any novel, in any genre, published in Sri Lanka between 1 June 2015 and 31 May 2016 is eligible for entry. The winner of each language category will receive a substantial cash prize of Rs. 500,000. The authors of each of the shortlisted works in each language will receive a cash award of Rs. 100,000. The grand Fairway National Literary Awards 2016 ceremony to announce the final winners will be held concurrently with the Fairway Galle Literary Festival in January 2017. Linking the local writing to a now acclaimed international literary festival offers prospective winners of the award the added benefit of exposure to international critics as well as writers.   It is proposed to announce the shortlisted novels just prior to the opening of the Colombo International Book Festival to be held in September 2016. The critical acclaim and recognition that accompanies the short-listing will offer the publishers and the authors much greater exposure at the book festival, which attracts over a million visitors.  

Submissions for this year’s competition will be accepted up to 5 July, at the Fairway National Literary Awards Secretariat located at ‘The Fairways’, 100, Buthgamuwa Road, Rajagiriya (Telephone: 0117586586/0774462285). 

The Fairway National Literary Award is sponsored by Fairway Holdings with the goal of encouraging, recognising and rewarding Sri Lankan creative writing talent. Fairway is a lifestyle company that believes that a robust tradition of creative writing is an essential hallmark of a modern cultural life.