The Bai Meigui Translation Prize is a translation prize awarded annually by the Leeds Centre for New Chinese Writing, at the
University of Leeds
, mottoeng = And knowledge will be increased
, established = 1831 – Leeds School of Medicine1874 – Yorkshire College of Science1884 - Yorkshire College1887 – affiliated to the federal Victoria University1904 – University of Leeds
, ...
.
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
Natascha Bruce is a British writer and translator of Chinese fiction and nonfiction. She currently resides in Amsterdam.
Biography
Bruce graduated from the University of Cambridge in 2010 with a Bachelor's degree in Chinese, focusing on cont ...
and Michael Day
Genre: surreal short story ''Chicken'' by
Dorothy Tse
Dorothy Tse Hiu-hung (, born 1977) is a Hong Kong author, editor, and an assistant professor of creative writing at Hong Kong Baptist University.
Writing career
Dorothy Tse writes primarily in Chinese. Her first short story collection, ''So Black' ...
Prize: 1 week at a translation summer school, and publication in
Structo magazine
Judges:
Nicky Harman
Nicky Harman is a UK-based prize-winning literary translator, working from Chinese to English and focussing on contemporary fiction, literary non-fiction, and occasionally poetry, by a wide variety of authors. When not translating, she spends tim ...
,
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 tr ...
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
Nicky Harman is a UK-based prize-winning literary translator, working from Chinese to English and focussing on contemporary fiction, literary non-fiction, and occasionally poetry, by a wide variety of authors. When not translating, she spends tim ...
,
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 tr ...
3rd Bai Meigui Prize (2017)
Winner:
Helen Tat and
Liu Jia
Liu Jia ( Chinese: 刘佳; 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 ...
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 tr ...
, 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 tr ...
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
References
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Awards established in 2015
Translation awards