The Bai Meigui Translation Prize is a translation prize awarded annually by the Leeds Centre for New Chinese Writing, at the
University of Leeds
The University of Leeds is a public research university in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It was established in 1874 as the Yorkshire College of Science. In 1884, it merged with the Leeds School of Medicine (established 1831) and was renamed Y ...
.
About the Prize
The aim of the prize is to introduce Chinese writers to English readers, and develop literary translators working from Chinese to English. The judges are practising literary translators. The literary genre and prize change annually, but the Centre always seeks to develop the translator by publishing the translation, thereby giving exposure to both writer and translator, and when possible, offering further training in literary translation.
Winners of the Prize
1st Bai Meigui Prize (2015)
Winners:
Natascha Bruce and Michael Day
Genre: surreal short story ''Chicken'' by
Dorothy Tse
Prize: 1 week at a translation summer school, and publication in
Structo
''Structo'' is a British literary magazine, founded in 2008 by the current editor Euan Monaghan. The magazine publishes fiction and poetry, as well as art, essays, and interviews.
Interviews
Each issue of the magazine includes long-form interv ...
magazine
Judges:
Nicky Harman,
Jeremy Tiang
Jeremy Tiang (born 17 January 1977) is a Singaporean writer, translator and playwright based in New York City. Tiang won the 2018 Singapore Literature Prize for English fiction for his debut novel, ''State of Emergency'', published in 2017.
Car ...
,
Helen Wang
Helen Kay Wang (; ; born 1965) is an English sinologist and translator. She works as curator of East Asian Money at the British Museum in London. She has also published a number of literary translations from Chinese, including an award-winning t ...
2nd Bai Meigui Prize (2016)
Winner: Luisetta Mudie
Genre: Literary non-fiction piece by Li Jingrui
Prize: 1 week at a translation summer school, and publication on ''Read Paper Republic''
Judges:
Nicky Harman,
Dave Haysom,
Helen Wang
Helen Kay Wang (; ; born 1965) is an English sinologist and translator. She works as curator of East Asian Money at the British Museum in London. She has also published a number of literary translations from Chinese, including an award-winning t ...
3rd Bai Meigui Prize (2017)
Winner:
Helen Tat and
Liu Jia
Liu Jia ( zh, t=劉佳; born 16 February 1982 in Beijing, China) is a Chinese-born Austrian left-handed table tennis player.
Early life
From 1992 to 1995, Liu attended Shichahai Sporting High School in Beijing. Afterward she became a member of ...
Genre: Poetry by
Chi Lingyun,
Qin Xiaoyu,
Xu Xiangchou
Prize: Publication in ''Stand'' magazine
Judges: Canaan Morse,
Eleanor Goodman, Heather Inwood
4th Bai Meigui Prize (2018)
Winner:
Jasmine Alexander
Genre: Children's picture book, ''Happy Mid-Autumn Festival'' by
Meng Yanan
Prize: Publication of bilingual picture book with Balestier Press
Judges: Minjie Chen,
Helen Wang
Helen Kay Wang (; ; born 1965) is an English sinologist and translator. She works as curator of East Asian Money at the British Museum in London. She has also published a number of literary translations from Chinese, including an award-winning t ...
, Adam Lanphier
See: ''Happy Mid-Autumn Festival'', by Meng Yanan, tr. Jasmine Alexander (Balestier Press, 2018) ISBN 978-1911221326
5th Bai Meigui Prize (2019)
Winner: Bill Leverett
Genre: short story by Chan Ho-kei
Prize: Publication in ''Pathlight'' journal of Chinese contemporary literature
Judges:
Jeremy Tiang
Jeremy Tiang (born 17 January 1977) is a Singaporean writer, translator and playwright based in New York City. Tiang won the 2018 Singapore Literature Prize for English fiction for his debut novel, ''State of Emergency'', published in 2017.
Car ...
, Tammy Ho Lai-Ming, Natascha Bruce
6th Bai Meigui Prize (2020)
Winner: Izzy Hasson
Genre: Children's picture book, ''Sleepy Sleepy New Year'' by Meng Yanan
Prize: Publication of bilingual picture book with Balestier Press
Judges: Minjie Chen, Colin Goh,
Helen Wang
Helen Kay Wang (; ; born 1965) is an English sinologist and translator. She works as curator of East Asian Money at the British Museum in London. She has also published a number of literary translations from Chinese, including an award-winning t ...
See: ''Sleepy Sleepy New Year'', by Meng Yanan, tr. Izzy Hasson (Balestier Press, 2020) ISBN 978-1911221777
7th Bai Meigui Prize (2021)
Winner: Francesca Jordan
Genre: Literature from Taiwan, a piece by
Yang Shuangzi 楊双子
Prize: Bursary for the ‘Bristol Translates’ Literary Translation Summer School
Judges: Susan Wan Dolling, Mike Fu, Darryl Sterk
8th Bai Meigui Prize (2022)
Winner: Hongyu Jasmine Zhu
Genre: Picture book from Taiwan
Prize: Mentorship by Helen Wang, and publication of bilingual picture book with Balestier Press
Judges: Nicky Harman, Amanda Ruiqing Flynn, Jennifer Feeley
9th Bai Meigui Prize (2023)
Winner: Andrew Rule
Genre: Text by Liang Hong 梁鸿
Prize: A bursary to attend the online 'Bristol Translates' Literary Translation Summer School, and the translation to be published on the Writing Chinese website
Judges:
Nicky Harman, Shen Yang, and Michael Day
[https://writingchinese.leeds.ac.uk/translation-competition/the-9th-bai-meigui-translation-competition-liang-hong-%E6%A2%81%E9%B8%BF/ Retrieve 19 Dec 2024]
References
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Awards established in 2015
Translation awards